Alexei's AU
by APH Liechtenstein
Summary: Harry Potter, at seven, is taken by Russia from his abusive relatives. He grows up with a much calmer Russia, and helpful nation friends, but he's constantly worried about them outliving him. It seems like this is solved with him becoming Moscow... but wait, what about the wizarding world? Oh, right, England's having him go, with nation friends. Rated T cause blood's a thing.
1. Chapter 1

Hey there. I'm really excited to be posting some finally. Expect updates once or twice a week, and know if I don't it's for a good reason, like getting hurt or something. I am a new writer on here, so please treat me well. This is also the first of my writings to be truly public, so once again. I'm always happy to take suggestions, though, as I'm really new at this. I didn't even know how to do an Author Note. So, yeah. Thanks for reading. I don't own any of Hetalia or Harry Potter, and I don't think I could.

Russia shook his head, sighing quietly. The world meeting was almost over, and they had gotten almost nothing done. He didn't mind, though. It was that America, who constantly brought to mind bad times and an urge... to yell at them and threaten them to get them to behave. But he wouldn't, even if all the others thought he would. He hadn't ever really even treated anyone that badly. Besides Belarus, but that really was self-defense. She wasn't a woman, she was a demon. He continued to think, paying no mind to the others in the room. His thoughts were startled by a high, annoying voice.

"Dude! Russia, man! You were totally out of it!" Ah, there it was again… so annoying… he looked up, smile forming on his face as he greeted America.

"Da, America? What is it?"

America slung his arm around Russia, laughing loudly, and Russia noticed that everyone at the meeting was looking at him a bit curiously.

"Dude, we've been calling your name, but you've just been all weird! Somethin' wrong, man?"

Russia shrugged him off, creepy smile growing wider as he began to laugh the laugh that made everyone go away. They shrunk back, as he though they would. Even the idiot retreated a little. Russia smiled a little more normally, and stopped his laugh.

"America, I am not hurt. I am just wishing you all get along better, da? I think these meetings would not be so pointless, and Germany might not have aneurysm after all. I like seeing you all getting along so well, and your little voices shouting make headache, da? Settle down." They all looked at him, a bit shocked.

England coughed and shuffled. "W-well, he does have a point, I suppose. Unfortunately, meeting time is over, and I'm sure a lot of us have some events to attend to- _get off!"_ This last remark was directed towards France who had decided to give England a parting hug before they all left.

Germany saw this going downhill, and quickly stood up to take charge. "STOP THAT UND LISTEN! Now, remember, all of you, the next monthly meeting vill be in Washington D.C., und perhaps next time ve vill take Russia's advice. Now, pack up neatly und politely, und try not to cause any accidents again!"

They shuffled off, and Russia, slow to get up, was the last one to leave. He stepped outside, enjoying the rare sunshine in London. The world meeting had taken place here instead of little Latvia's home, since there was a lot of snowfall there, as usual. His coat was still necessary in the surprisingly cold wind for summer, but the sun really did feel nice, and he saw similar happy looks on the other people's faces. Russia had quite a bit of time on his hands, so he decided to walk around a bit. At first he was simply enjoying the sights, but soon he stopped paying attention, and began to walk aimlessly.

Soon he found himself wandering more suburban area, with freshly mowed lawns and carefully tended flowerbeds. He smiled to himself, thinking about the ridiculousness of these people who wasted their time on things like this. Most of the houses seemed to be empty, the owners gone to work. He wandered, glancing at his watch. It was about 1'oclock now, and the air had become greatly hotter. He was glad for his natural coldness, for it made him cool enough to keep his coat and scarf on even in this heat.

It was then that he heard the angry voice, and he walked closer to the house it came from. He saw, on the lawn, a skinny, meek little 5-year-old with messy black hair and beautiful green eyes. Russia was entranced by those eyes, (In a wow-those-are-pretty way, this isn't going to be weird, ok.) in the sparkling emerald, but somehow they were darkened with pain and sadness.

Russia felt a bit angry, and looked at the person standing over the little boy, keeping himself out of sight as he did so. It was a tall, rather horsey looking woman who was glaring at the boy. She was the one who had been angry, and judging by the way she held her hand, she had just hit the boy. She kept shouting at the boy, unaware of the narrowed eyes watching her. The boy was holding a broken, cheap looking trowel, and Russia realized the boy had been working on the garden in that yard when it broke. A man walked out of the house, and Russia nearly laughed at the man's comical features. He was stout, with quivering jowls, and a huge mustache that made his tiny face seem all the tinier. It was red, too, putting Germany's earlier angry face to shame. Germany was better looking, too, and that helped. In fact, the man reminded him a bit of General Winter, only overweight, with his gruffness and not caring about others. Russia like him even less, now.

The man growled at the boy, and was clearly about to start shouting too, when Russia decided he'd had enough. The nations always valued children greatly, even the odder ones, and seeing a child treated like this was enough to make a nation absolutely furious, even Russia. And he was fighting from taking his special pipe out and doing some things England would yell at him for. But the child may grow scared, and Russia did not want to frighten the child even more than he already was.

He walked up, looking calm, but inside he was struggling to keep a grip on his emotions. The two adults looked a bit stricken to see this oddly dressed man walking towards them, and it was easy to tell that Russia was tall and muscular even with his layers. They looked a bit apprehensive, but didn't back down, the lady with her horse face in a disapproving scowl, and the walrus man's face growing constantly darker. He stopped in front of them, letting out a bit of his creepy aura and smile, and the two adults flinched a bit. He glanced at the boy, and was surprised to see that he was looking at Russia not with the usual fear, but with what could be hope. This glance made Russia determined to take the boy from these awful people who treated him so badly all the more.

"What do you want, huh? Mind your business, young man!" The growling of the man brought Russia back to the present, and he nearly laughed out loud at the ridiculousness of the statement _young man._ He was Russia, and had been alive for a long time, longer than this man.

Russia's grin stretched wider. "Who are you? It would be nice to have names, da?" The man growled again. "I think you should be doing the answering now, before you grow too red."

The man puffed himself up, affronted. "I am Vernon Dursley, and this is my wife, Petunia. Now that you know our names, get off our lawn! I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you better just keep walking, you understand me?!"

Russia slowly shook his head. He took a step forward, and the Dursleys (minus the boy) scrambled backwards a bit. He was angry now, but still didn't completely show it for the sake of the boy. "I don't think I will. I think I will be stopping the yelling and hitting of the boy, da? What is his name?"

Vernon looked like his head would explode from rage. "That boy? Who cares about that little beast? He's not worth worrying about, that dirty so-called _wizard."_ Petunia's head shot up a bit, but she maintained her haughty look.

"You do not want him? Because he is a- wizard? Then, I take him. If he likes, da?" The boy's face filled with wonder at these words, and he unconsciously scooted a bit towards Russia.

The Dursleys looked torn between fear and hope of their own. "What do you mean, you'll take the boy? Take him to who, exactly?" Russia narrowed his eyes a little bit more at the Dursleys.

"I take him to Russia, and I raise him myself. You are not good parents to him, and he is not seeming to like you. If he wants, he comes with me, never comes back to you. I think you like idea." They did, and he could see it on their faces oh so clearly. Just a bit more, he could tell, and they would agree. The boy was almost next to him now, too, eager to be taken away from these awful people.

"How are we to know you won't give up on that filthy little brat and dump him back with us, huh? We're not fools."

"Aha, I do not care what you think you are. I do not think this boy will be bad to me. I take him, and I never come back. Simple, da?"

They shrugged, suddenly caring a bit less. They exchanged glances, and Russia could see them agreeing. Vernon Dursley turned back to Russia, looking a bit less red in the face, and nodded, reaching out his hand for a handshake, albeit a bit disgustedly.

"Fine, just take him, and get out of here. Don't bother coming back or sending letters, we don't want them to see or you. I don't want to see either of you again, got it? Now scram!" With a handshake done with, the Dursleys scuttled back inside their home, Vernon rubbing his bruised hand. Russia knelt down to the boy, gently smiling his real, nice smile. He slowly reached out one of his big, gloved hands to the child, and the boy suddenly smiled and gripped it, unafraid. Russia was frozen by the look on the boy's face, full of happiness suddenly, and the beauteous smile stretching across it. He pulled the boy a bit closer, happily patting his head gently.

"Little boy, what is your name?" He asked, entranced by the boy's absence of fear. The boy looked down a bit, a bit sadder, and answered in a small and gentle voice.

"I-I don't like mine, but it's Harry Potter. Those people weren't my parents, they were my aunt and uncle. Um… are you really going to take care of me?"

Russia nodded, happy to hear the boy could speak. "Da, I am. I know! Do you want new name, that I give for you, little boy? If you want me to raise you?" Harry looked back up, excitement in his gaze.

"Of course I want you to raise me! Can you really give me a new name?"

Russia laughed a little, and picked the small, undernourished five year old up. He started walking with him in his arms, pleased at the steady heartbeat of the boy, assuring him nothing was wrong. He knew a perfect name, a reminder of how things, and he, could have been, before things went badly for him so long ago. "I know perfect name, if you want. After son of man in Russia long ago, plus last name of mine. I call you Alexei, and give you my last name, Braginsky. You like?"

The boy laughed, happy with it. Russia nearly stopped in shock. He loved this laugh, and felt like he needed to make sure the laugh came easier to the boy.

"I like it! Thanks! What's your name, mister?"

Russia smiled. "I am called Ivan, or Russia. Either one. I can explain more later, if you wish, little one. But for now, I bring you to my home, in Russia. Here-" Russia took off his scarf, gently folding it around the newly dubbed Alexei, wrapping him gently in the warm, thick and soft fabric. Alexei giggled, taking some of it in his hands gently. "Now, Alexei, hold on. I am going to take us to my home in an instant, I explain later how, da?" Alexei looked excited, nodding eagerly.

In a blink of an eye, they vanished from Privet Drive and appeared in the snowy winter plains and forests of Russia, in front of a large and stately home. It looked a bit empty, but Russia planned to fix this by repainting, making it more comfortable with décor, safer for Alexei. He walked in, and was surprised to see some people waiting for him. It was Germany, Lithuania, and Prussia, who seemed nervous. They looked at him, not yet noticing Alexei in the thick bundle of Russia's scarf.

Germany stepped forward awkwardly, not expecting help from the other two. "Hello, Russia. I hate to sound rude, but I vas vondering vhere you vere? Ve all had a meeting scheduled, although you are only five minutes or so late."

Russia smiled, still genuinely, the happiness in his system not leaving him. He walked over to a comfortable chair and gently deposited the bundle of scarf and boy in it, talking as he went.

"I apologize, Germany, I grew distracted and forgot. I only came back now because I have surprise I was not expecting, but glad to have."

The three guests stepped forwards, curious. Russia stepped aside a bit, revealing the little boy, all wrapped up in the scarf and slowly getting a bit more comfortable. They gasped a bit, either at the fact that Russia was treating someone so well, or the boy himself, all bruised, thin, and dirty, but looking happy nonetheless.

"W-who ist that?" asked Germany, quite startled, and a bit repentant for his earlier words. Russia adjusted the cushions and got the boy a blanket, and Lithuania hurried forward to help.

"He's little boy I found somewhere by London, he was hurt by adults he lived with. I agree to take him and they all too glad. I dislike things like that, we all do, da?"

Alexei thankfully took the blanket and settled further into the chair, warm and happy, still clutching the scarf. He smiled, again, and shifted a little, under the nation's watchful eyes. His cracked and worn glasses fell from his face, and Prussia caught them, having drawn closer to the boy over time. He examined them, a bit sad for their condition, and cleaned them off the best he could, then carefully placed them back on Alexei's face. Alexei smiled and said a quick thank-you, mesmerized by the nation's features and the small yellow bird nesting in his hair.

Prussia noticed, and a grin leapt to his face. "Kesese~ aren't I awesome? I'm an albino, only the awesomest of people get to be like me! And this right here is Gilbird! He's named after me, the awesome Gilbert Beilschmidt! This is my little brother; the slightly less awesome Ludwig, and a buddy, Toris Laurinaitis!"

Alexei nodded, his eyes wide, gazing at the three and marveling a little at how different they all were. Lithuania smiled faintly at him, and he smiled happily back, fully opening his eyes for the first time too. They all were shocked by how cute he was; and all the angrier at the people who had dared hurt him in such a way.

Lithuania saw how thin he was and stood up quickly, meeting forgotten by all, and said, "I'll cook something for him, if you don't mind, Mr. Ivan. I can make something for all of us, if that's okay." Russia nodded and Lithuania hurried off to the kitchen, happy to help in his own way.

Prussia stood next, and offered to go to the store nearby to pick up some clothes and things for the child. Russia thanked him, and Prussia hurried off. Germany was left with Russia, but Alexei's presence made it comfortable. They both served the boy to the best of their abilities until he was comfortable, then fell into silence as he fell asleep.

Russia was the first to speak. "Thanks, Germany. I did not realize the work needed to care for him. It is nice that you are here, and I am surprised that you are so good with children."

Germany, surprised by the sudden statement, nodded, and, curious, asked, "So vhat do you plan on doing with him?"

Russia shifted in his chair, thinking. Germany, knowing this, waited patiently. Russia wasn't entirely sure, actually. He really was planning on raising Alexei, but he was sad that the child would grow up and leave him behind, or even that Russia could fall and he would leave the boy. He would explain the nations to him, the minute he got settled in, he was sure of that. Russia, at long last, smiled and answered.

"I will raise him. I'll explain about nations in few days, he gets here properly first. I find way to care best for him, and find way to make him more like us. Does this sound fine?"

Germany, surprised at the question but expecting the first part, took no time in answering. "I am quite fine with you taking care of the child. In fact, I believe it is for the best: the two of you seem to enjoy each other's company. As for immortality or even nation hood, England himself is my recommendation for something like that. I vould be happy to help, Russia."

Russia was taken aback. Yet, at the same time, he was even happier. Here was an old enemy, recently less so, that was honestly offering his services without any ulterior motives. He smiled again, still genuine.

"Thank you, Germany. I am happy to hear this. I think I will approach England, and ask him for help. I am happy as well to help you any time." The two nodded, a certain peace achieved. At that moment, Prussia burst in, albeit more quietly than normal, and Lithuania softly called from the kitchen that he had finished with the meal.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello again! I just want to say thanks so, so much for the nice reviews and all the favorites and follows. I honestly can say I did not expect that, and it's really nice. I plan to update again on Wednesday or Thursday, and I'll probably stick to updating every two or three days, and if I have writer's block or something, I'll be sure to mention it in the latest update. Also, if you think I'm skipping meetings and things in this, don't worry! I plan to include flashbacks a little later. Thanks again! I don't own either Harry Potter or Hetalia!

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Alexei Harry Braginsky was a very happy boy, now 7 years old. His adoptive father, while creepy at times, never scared him or hurt him, and he had made friends of pretty much all of the nations. They had gotten back at the Dursleys, too, house trashed and their precious standing in the neighborhood and public ruined.

His only problem was the fact that his father, Russia, was immortal, and therefore was going to have to watch him grow up. Alexei wanted very much to be like his father, even if not a nation, and was disappointed when England told Russia he didn't have any spells for immortality.

Nevertheless, it wasn't his problem right now, and his aunts were coming over today. Ukraine, while too nervous to approach Russia to meet Alexei at first, eventually calmed down enough to get to know him. In the end, she had gotten a lot better with Russia, too. She didn't run away from him anymore; she was as affectionate and caring towards him as she always truly was. Alexei was revered by her for making her brother so calm, and she always had good games to play with him. Belarus had been surprisingly accepting of Alexei. She had calmed down about marrying Russia in her adoration of the new family member, as well. They all thought that it was because Alexei wasn't afraid of her and didn't run from her.

This is what entranced most of the nations, in fact: that the little boy didn't care what they had done in their pasts, or how scary they looked or acted. He was more and more Russia-like for sure, as his childishness hadn't faded at all, and he could be threatening as well when he wanted, but he hadn't lost that innocence that they loved. Belarus had, in fact, been the first to teach him how to defend himself, giving him some knives and a pipe of his own.

So yes, Alexei was really looking forwards to his aunts coming over. He was pacing in the warm living room of Russia's little summer home he had gotten a few years back, enjoying the warmth that was rare in the country, when the doorbell finally rang. He instantly turned and dashed for the door, opening it to reveal his favorite aunts. Ukraine and Belarus made their way in happily, exchanging greetings as they went.

He led them to the kitchen, and they sat down over some drinks. Ukraine was the first to speak, cradling her smoothie in her hands.

"So, little Alexei, what games do you want to play?" Alexei smiled, and thought hard. All of their games were long, and they would usually spend all day playing them.

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Alexei was now nine, and he was still so, so happy with his life. He had met more of the nations, and eagerly made friends with them. He was very like Russia, they all agreed, but he was like the Russia that had come about since Alexei started staying with him; warm and friendly, even if still a bit awkward. And very, very protective of those he loved. Alexei's childish nature had stayed, too, the same as his father, and he was all too happy to play and talk with the nations.

However, as he got older, they all began to think more and more about how he wasn't immortal. Russia and his sisters were unhappy about this, as were all the nations who had gotten especially close, such as, surprisingly, Germany, Prussia, and Canada.

Prussia had been great at helping Russia raise him, and they had gotten closer over time, until Alexei easily could see past Prussia's acts, and Prussia could easily comfort Alexei. Alexei could see Canada, somehow, and that was the reason for that friendship. Together with Prussia, they were the only ones who could see Canada normally.

Germany taught him how to do many things, like cleaning, building things, and even could be found, from time to time, including Alexei in the training sessions he and some other nations had every now and then. But they were all growing steadily more worried about Alexei growing up and leaving them behind.

However, fate seemed to have a way of working itself out. One day, when only his father (Papa, he called him, and Russia thought the French sounding nickname was funny) and his two aunts were at home, they started a discussion about it. Russia shifted uneasily on his bit of the couch he was sharing with Alexei, and Ukraine and Belarus were in two chairs facing them. It was summer again, almost time for Alexei's birthday, and they were facing the fact that he was nearly ten.

Russia started off, "Alexei, you know… we are immortal, and you… are not, da?" Alexei nodded sadly.

"Yes, Papa, I do…"

Russia continued, "And while we are going to raise you as long as we can, we just want you to know this completely and be prepared, little one."

Ukraine was tearing up a bit, but needed to say her bit. "None of us want to give you up, little shchenok, but the time will come." Belarus couldn't speak. Alexei just wished he could stay with them, and said as much. He was unprepared for the sad looks that flashed across their faces as he did.

"I just wish I could stay with Papa, and aunties, and everyone else… I would be doing anything…"

As he said that, his slowly awaking magic, for the first time, decided to show itself, in a really big way. For Moscow, unlike many other capitals, didn't have its own personification yet, and had been looking for a good person for a while now. The capitals, just like the nations, were immortal, and couldn't be hurt by physical means, only by the dissolution or complete destruction of their actual landmasses. Little Alexei's magic, just waking up, encountered Moscow, and heard what Alexei was thinking. Moscow, who had been searching (in a non-sentient way) for a good manifestation, and had been getting desperate, encountered the magic's small tendril and learned of the person who owned it. The absolutely perfect person to be Moscow. The little boy wanted to be immortal, plus he knew Russia closely and already regarded him as a father of sorts- it was perfect.

So, the magic gave little Alexei a choice. Become Moscow, immortal and truly the son of Russia, without losing his personality, only his looks changing a little, or stay the way he was. Changing to grow ever older, losing sight of his dear adopted family as he grew older and they stayed the same.

Little Alexei, all in his mind, decided to become Moscow in a heartbeat. Suddenly, pain washed over him, and he toppled from the couch he had been sitting on, still in the middle of their discussion. All three of his adopted family leapt up to help him, and through the pain he had a thought- real family now- before the pain got even worse, and he was nearly blacking out. He was crying out from it, and the three grew all the more frantic.

They hustled him back to the couch, lying him out on it, and Russia, as an afterthought, carefully tucked his scarf around him. Belarus had run to get a washcloth soaked with water, and returned to lay it on his head, while Ukraine had called England, noting the odd changes in hair colour Alexei was already going through.

"England! ENGLAND!"

" _God, what..? Ukraine? What's the matter?"_

"Alexei is in pain, and- and- his hair is changing, and it seems like magic, so- could you come over? Now? Please, England-"

" _Of course, Ukraine, I'll nation hop, it's your summer home, right?"_

"Yes, thank you so much, England..." She hung up, running to the door and throwing it open just in time for England to pop into view and hurtle into the house, dashing to little Alexei's side. England had known about Alexei being Harry Potter, and had taught the doting family about him, magic, Hogwarts, and the political situation. They had discussed the fact that Alexei would most likely have to go there, so the wizarding world wouldn't suffer huge waves of worry. He had grown closer to them, and had told them that Alexei may experience odd events like this. He just wasn't expecting what he saw on the couch.

There was little Alexei, shaking and sweating from the pain, but he didn't look nearly like what he had before. He was still a little child, yes, but his jet black hair had faded into a dirty, odd sort of blonde, and he had clearly grown a bit taller, despite not aging. England realized he looked a lot like Russia had when he was younger, only with less platinum blond hair and an ever so slightly skinnier bone structure, and that's when it hit him.

Belarus had darted back into the room with a fresh cloth, so all three of the adoptive family were present for his gasp. They all turned to look at him, half enquiring, and half panicking.

"What is it, England? Do you know what's wrong?" Russia asked, trying to calm poor Alexei down.

"Yes, I do, but- Russia, your Moscow never showed up, did it?"

Russia shook his head, not making the connection. "No, they never did. Why?"

England was sure of it now, he could just tell from the barely lucid form of the boy on the couch. "I think you've found him, Russia. Your capital is right here."

Russia and his sisters started, their eyes darting to Alexei.

Russia sat back a little, in shock, although he never stopped looking at Alexei. "Really? My little shchenok, is my capital? But he never was before, da?"

England nodded fervently, hurrying over to help Russia into the chair Belarus was sitting in just minutes ago. He started to explain. "Russia, Alexei's magic likely woke up recently, and caught on to how much he wanted to stay immortal with all of you. It most likely encountered the will of Moscow, and found its solution. Normally, this would've been impossible, or very hard, but his magic seems a lot stronger than normal. The process is going to be a bit painful- as you can see- but the pain will go away completely likely by the end of the day. You're going to have to work with him to help him get used to being a personification, but he should be used to it soon…"

They all looked at Alexei again, a bit shocked. The boy seemed to be doing a bit better. Russia, shaking off the shock a little bit, returned to Alexei's side, comforting him. This prompted Belarus and Ukraine, who returned to tending him.

England decided to make some tea for all of them, putting his coat on a chair in the kitchen as he went by. He shuffled over to the cabinet that held the tea pot and the imported teas, getting them out. After he set the tea pot to boiling, he flopped down on a chair present by an island in the middle of the kitchen.

He was excited for Russia, as he should be. Finding your capital was a big thing, and everyone was so worried about Alexei growing old that this seemed like the perfect solution. With a start, he realized that the tea pot was boiling and went over to pour the cups, then carefully carried them to a coffee table by the couch Alexei was on. The boy had evidently stopped feeling so much pain, and was now sleeping. Russia sat next to him on the carpet, and Ukraine was sitting on the arm of the couch, stroking his changed hair, while Belarus looked on from one of the armchairs, pulled as close as she could pull it. England handed them all, except Alexei, a cup of the tea and they accepted gratefully, glad to have someone sane in their panic.

Russia looked up at Alexei, still a bit confused. "So, he's being okay soon?"

"Yes, he'll be fine. He'll grow up to a certain point, too, so you don't need to worry about him staying nine forever. I'm guessing he'll show quite a bit of strength, too, since you're so strong. You might have to work with him on that. Also, I can contact the others to tell them. Remember, you can take him to world meetings now, if you want. You're always talking about him asking you, so you have no excuse now."

Russia sighed, and nodded with a sheepish grin on his face. He looked up at England, face suddenly sincere, and spoke. "Thank you, England. I apologize for calling you suddenly and making you do the coming over. Do you wish to stay? We have guest bed, and nation hopping is tiring. It is all we can be doing for you for now."

England groaned a little inwardly. He didn't want to intrude, but nation hopping really was tiring when you weren't a super power.

"Yes please, if you're sure you don't mind. If young Moscow here has any relapses, just come get me. Thanks, Russia."

They nodded and he went to a guest room nearby. The three siblings sighed, finally relaxing and slumping down, taking tea that had cooled a bit. They made it through the night with few events, and they didn't need to call Britain down for any of them.

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Sorry, but felt the need for a cliffhanger, and the chapter would have been _way_ too long if I had had the entire thing. If any of you have suggestions for something you want Alexei/Harry to do later at Hogwarts, please suggest it. If it goes well with the plot in my head, and isn't too crackish, I may include it later on. Must be at Hogwarts and not interfere with the main plot, like little oneshots or something. Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi again! I want to thank everyone who reviewed for their support; it really means a lot. Same goes for everyone that favorited** **or followed, it's really amazing. Please forgive if Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus are slightly OOC. Alexei/Harry is from an abusive household, and typically the best way to help expected anxieties and fears coming from those backgrounds is to be friendly, warm, and cheerful as possible, without alarming the child. So, my offer from the previous update still stands, and I've already gotten one review from a Detectivegirl21. To Detectivegirl21: Your idea for that OC has helped me an insane amount. Don't be surprised to see them become a major plot device. Also, I do plan to eventually get around to the fifth book, and yes, the Umbridge bashing will be at max. Dumbledore shaming, a little. I'm really trying to emphasize his powerlessness against the greater forces at work here, namely, the nations. But your OC will be coming in soon and frequently. That brings me to another note. I've decided to do artwork for my characters, such as this OC, Alexei, and the nation gang, and any others who come in. It'll be manga style when I am finished, and I warn you that I'm not very experienced in that, so it'll both be a while and it won't be good quality. But if you guys like them, I can also try to do them in classical style, although once again, I am a severe novice in this. The manga style I plan to do in colour, but the classical will be gray toned for sure. Thanks, all of you, for your support.**

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Alexei opened his eyes. He glanced around, and slowly sat up, feeling a bit achy as the previous night came to him. He felt a little odd, and gasped as suddenly he tuned into the feeling of many people at once, walking around on his lands.

Belarus came in, having heard his small sound. She looked a bit shocked when she came over to him, but he assumed that it was his actions the previous night.

She got closer a bit nervously, as if unsure, and he smiled up at her nicely. "I'm sorry, Natalya, but I really wanted to do something to stay with you all, and something told me I could do this so I did it. Are you mad?"

A smile shot across her face and she was obviously relieved he was his same self, and then shook her head.

Ukraine happily walked in, having heard the conversation, and hugged Alexei. "I was so worried! Warn us next time, ok?! But I'm so glad, anyway, this way, all our problems are fixed. We'll help you, too, and England's here to help, as well!" Alexei was surprised by this. England didn't usually come to Russia's house, even nowadays- had something happened?

"Um, Irina, is something wrong? Why is England here? Did something happen?"

Ukraine chuckled, shaking her head. She sat next to him on the couch. "No, little shchenok, you happened. We were so worried we called England right over. He nation-hopped and everything, so he's sleeping it off in the guest room. He'll probably wake up soon, so I need to go start some food. Brother will be here in a bit."

Alexei nodded, then realized what Ukraine mentioned earlier. "Wait, Irina- you said the problem was fixed, do you mean that I really became Moscow?" She nodded happily, practically dancing out of the room in her joy.

Alexei turned to Belarus, to see a smile on her face- a rare and beautiful event. She spoke softly, like usual. "Yes, England said you successfully became Moscow, and that your magic was involved. I'm not sure of the details. But we are glad, Alexei. Our wish is granted, is it not?" He nodded, even happier than he was the day before. He could stay with them, and as long as Russia lived, he would protect his little Moscow so he would not die.

Alexei jumped out of bed, and tripped immediately. After he got up, he looked down, and the ground seemed somewhat farther down than usual. He sat back down, confused. Belarus chuckled, just a little, and he shot her a slightly wounded look. She laughed a bit more at that, and then explained.

"When you… become a capital, your appearance changes a little to match your nation's looks a bit better. You haven't gotten older. Just taller, and your hair got light."

Alexei was actually a bit excited by this. He had always wanted to look more like his family, and once again his problem had been solved. He hopped back up and tried to get over to his mirror, this time expecting the change a bit better and managing to make his way over. His eyes widened- he did look different, with longer, dirty blond hair like Belarus', and platinum blonde highlights, only in a cut like Lithuania's, and definitely taller and a bit more filled out, and in a good way. His green eyes now seemed a bit more purple tinted, but still dazzling nonetheless.

He grinned; he really looked like a part of the family now, and people would no longer glance at them questioningly when in public. He flipped up his hair on his forehead to take a look at his scar; it was still there and jagged. Looking at it brought memories of England coming to Russia's house to meet him, and the ensuing chaos.

 _-Flashback-_

 _Alexei watched as Russia ushered a blond-haired man inside the house, then closed the door swiftly behind him, blocking out the freezing air. The man took off his coat and put it on the coatrack, revealing a comfortable green sweater that went with his eyes. Alexei then noticed the bushy beasts he thought were meant to be eyebrows above the orbs, and for a moment couldn't stop staring at them._

 _The man turned to him, and Alexei stopped staring and was surprised when the man looked absolutely shocked. Russia, not noticing the man's surprise, took the moment to introduce them._

" _Alexei, this is England, or Arthur Kirkland. He is doing the visiting to meet you."_

 _Alexei nodded at England, smiling. "Hello, England. I'm Alexei. Um, is something wrong?"_

 _England looked at him, unhearing. Russia took him gently by the arm and shook him, softly. England started and looked more aware. "I-I apologize. I hate to be rude, but… Russia, where did you and Alexei meet?"_

 _Russia looked a bit uncomfortable and shuffled, as did Alexei. Russia had mentioned earlier that while countries supported saving children from bad situations, taking a citizen from their country without asking could be considered very rude. Russia hadn't exactly asked England himself._

" _Ah, for that, I must be offering the apology, England. I know I did not come ask, I forgot in my hurry. Will you allow Alexei to stay with me?" Russia asked, looking a bit worried. Alexei felt worried too, as he didn't want to return to his awful family who had treated him so badly._

 _England, though still pale, smiled at them warmly, and Alexei felt some fear disappear. "Yes, Russia, it's fine. But I do have some concerns for you, unfortunately. You've rescued a very important citizen of mine, but I'm sure we can work it out. However, I'm going to have to explain some things to you, your sisters, and Alexei here, and you need a very open mind."_

 _Russia nodded, and called for Ukraine and Belarus, who had been upstairs reading. They came down, and seemed happy to see England. Well, Ukraine was, and although Belarus had been changing for the better, she was still a little possessive back then. They said their hellos, and all went to the living room for more comfortable seating._

 _Russia started up the conversation, breaking the somewhat awkward silence. "So, England, why is little Alexei so important?" England looked unsure where to start, but after a pause he began. "So, you know how Romania, Norway, and I are known as the magical trio? Well, I guess you would know, Russia- I've summoned you by accident in my magic circles before. So I suppose you would also have realized that, ah, magic is real. Would you want proof?"_

 _Ukraine and Belarus seemed unsure, and nodded, and Russia simply looked curious. Alexei, however, was flooded with wonder. Was this really possible? He stared at England and nodded as well. England sighed and stood up. He brought a stick- a wand? Thought Alexei- and gestured with it simply, shooting green and brown sparks out of the end of it._

 _Alexei's eyes grew wide. He couldn't believe it- there was no way that stick held fireworks or anything, and it wasn't a sparkler, so how could it have been anything but magic? He found himself leaning so far forward in his seat that he almost toppled over, and after he adjusted himself to be a bit safer, he glanced over at his aunts and saw them doing the same thing. His Papa, Russia, looked pleased, but not surprised, and Alexei thought that was maybe because of the whole I-summoned-you thing that England had talked about earlier._

" _England, that is impressive, but why is that being important for Alexei?" Russia asked, trying to understand the purpose._

" _Well, the reason why we of the magic trio can perform magic is because we have a greater magical community than other countries, or that the magical communities are just as or more important to our well being than the normal ones. These magical communities are made up of magical people and creatures. The magical people are known as witches and wizards, and are normal except for their magical capabilities." Russia nodded, as did Ukraine and Belarus. Their faces looked as if something was dawning on them, and their eyes darted over to Alexei. Alexei felt like he was missing something important here, but trusted his Papa and aunts to understand what was going on. Russia shifted forwards. "So you are saying that Alexei here is magic, da? And that he is somehow important to your community?"_

 _Alexei gasped, and all the other heads in the room swiveled to face him. What if he was a- a wizard? He remembered the Dursleys yelling at him so much if even one thing went oddly in their house, and some things that had happened around him without explanation just made so much more sense now. But what would his new family think? Even if they had been nice and accepting, what if they feared him now, or what if he posed a danger to them as nations? Glancing around nervously, he caught Ukraine's eye by accident, and she smiled a slow, calm smile at him that reassured him. Russia, having sat near him, leaned into him a bit, and Alexei turned to look, Russia smiled at him as well, then turned to England to continue the conversation. Belarus, as well, had given him a more friendly look (She was getting there, not used to having expressions other than insane) than she usually gave to others._

 _England continued. "Don't worry. You can't harm us with magic, as we are immortal. We would even heal extremely quickly from any wounds, so really, a nation is the best to raise a magic user. Yes, you are a wizard. But that's only scratching the surface of the reason why I need to talk with you all and work things out. You see, for a while up until seven years ago, a dark wizard was going around and doing horrible things. No one could stop him, and he had a mass following called Death Eaters. His title was Voldemort, and his original name was Tom Riddle. As I said, no one could stop him. Until he went to the house of a young couple who had just celebrated the birth of their first child. He killed the parents, but not before the mother cast a protection spell over the child with her dying breath. He, not realizing this, went to kill the child with the same spell he killed others with. The curse rebounded, and he died, leaving the child alive. The child was given to his non-magical aunt and uncle. His name was Harry Potter."_

 _All their eyes widened at this, and Alexei found himself with his mouth open. "So… you're saying my parents didn't die in a car crash? They were killed?"_

 _England nodded, a grimace on his face. News like this was never fun to deliver. "Yes, I'm afraid so, Alexei. And you became a legend in the wizarding world. That, I'm afraid, is where it becomes tricky. Well, trickier than it already is."_

 _Russia narrowed his eyes, and spoke again. "Now, England, I am believing that before you said we could keep Alexei, but now it looks as if you will be doing the taking of him, da? We will not let you, unless Alexei wants."_

 _England shook his head vigorously, and Alexei felt himself calm down a bit after tensing during his Papa's statement._

 _England, eager to clear up the misunderstanding, started explaining again. "No, I promise you, Russia, that will not be necessary. All I need is for you to send Alexei to a wizard boarding school, in my country, so people do not grow panicked. You would be able to communicate with him through owl, like a passenger pigeon, whenever you wanted, and he could come home for winter holidays. I can take care of the rest, so don't worry. Please, Russia, this is as far as I can compromise."_

" _I see now. I am sorry for jumping to conclusions. I am seeing no problems with this myself, although to me it is Alexei who should decide." All heads turned once again to Alexei, but patiently as they waited for him to make his decision. Alexei knew that he wanted to stay with his papa and aunts- that was a given- and learning of his parent's death didn't shake that. He felt sorry for them, but he had found a family that was caring, and eager to support him. This school, too, didn't seem all that bad. In fact, it sounded amazing, even if it was outside of his papa's country. He could learn magic, and help his papa, perhaps._

 _He looked up at all the faces, a smile on his face, and nodded. They, too, all broke out in grins, all relieved, albeit for different reasons._

 _England, still sporting a small smile, relaxed, and started on the details of things. "The school is called Hogwarts, and your original parents enrolled you before they died. There is a shopping place for magical people nearby that I can take you to before the school starts. You'll be getting the letter for your school necessities on your eleventh birthday, by the way. I can deliver it myself, so no one figures out where exactly you live. There may be a bit of a stir when people realize he's been missing for so long, but I know other people will be the ones to take it up. In fact, I know someone who probably had a hand in putting Alexei with the Dursleys, and he'll be the one to handle it, most likely." Russia cocked his head, and his familiar dark aura leaked out the tiniest bit._

" _So is he the one giving Alexei to the bad relatives? I may be punishing him, too, da?"_

 _England, a bit nervous now, shook his head. "While I understand your… concerns, he is for one thing, a very important person in the wizarding world, and on top of that, I owe him a bit, as he saved me from a rather evil wizard some time ago. Likely he knew that the Dursleys would be a bit cold to Alexei, but not to that extent. Despite all of his good deeds, he's very manipulative. However, as I said, he will shoulder the blame for Alexei "disappearing", and I assure you that this will be punishment enough."_

 _Russia thought, and Alexei knew he was thinking whether or not it was worth it to punish the man anyways. Finally, he nodded, and his dark aura went away, to the happiness of poor England._

 _However, his head shot back up, although this time he just looked curious. "England, I must have the magic people too, da? Why can I not feel them?" England smiled at this interest. "It's because typically, our capitals take care of the magical portion. Once you find Moscow he- or she- will feel them as well as the capital's people, and take care of that business. The reason why I and some others are still involved is because our magical communities are especially large compared to the typical people."_

 _Russia bowed his head again, more thoughtful now. England chanced a look at his watch and gasped, then shot up, looking at them apologetically. "Sorry, but I've got a meeting with the queen in five minutes. I hope you forgive me for my hastiness, but she's been chewing me out for being late recently. Here-" and he placed a paper with his phone number into Alexei's hands- "In case you have any more questions, this is my personal number. Thanks for having me, Russia. Perhaps next time I shall host your family." They waved politely and England trotted briskly outside to nation hop._

 _They looked at each other in silence, unsure of what to do now. Belarus, surprisingly, broke the tension by rising and patting Alexei on the shoulder appreciatively. "You have a fine weapon in magic. Become a great warrior. I will help, and teach you the ways of my knives." She departed to the kitchen to make herself some food._

 _Ukraine bounced up next, and hugged Alexei comfortingly. She looked into his eyes and spoke easily. "Look at you, so amazing! You can do something none of us can do. I'm proud. This school will be fun, I'm sure, and you're such a good kid. You'll make lots of friends, I can tell. We'll help you if you ever need help, okay?"_

 _Alexei nodded happily, and laughed back an "Okay, Auntie!" Russia was last, and carefully approached him._

 _Alexei, this time, spoke first. "Sorry, Papa, for making you worry."_

 _Russia shook his head vehemently, and ruffled Alexei's hair. "No, little shchenok, I'm sorry for making you feel bad. I'm proud of you, to have such a unique skill. When it comes time for you to go to the school, as you want, I shall support you. Do not worry, we will never be ashamed of you or kick you out as those odd people did." He smiled at Alexei, and Alexei smiled back then hugged him. They stayed there for a few minutes, then Russia picked him up and carried him piggyback to the kitchen to prepare a nice warm lunch._

-Time skip to normal-

Now, Alexei stood grinning at his newly transformed self in the mirror, recalling the relief of acceptance. He turned back to Natalya and wobbled back over, even more excited. Something had occurred to him that some might hate, but he relished the idea.

"Natalya, does this mean I can do the magic people's work for Papa?" She thought for a moment, surprised by his question, and nodded.

She spoke again. "Yes, I suppose. If Big brother will let you. Although he most likely will not complain."

Russia, having been awakened to the existence of his magical community, had gotten into the paperwork for it and had revealed his presence to their leader. He had remarked on many occasions thus far that there was quite a bit of work to be done, and while it was interesting, it took up already precious and rare free time. Despite that and not being able to feel the magical communities very well, he still did his best, but Alexei wanted to help any way he could.

Alexei turned back to the mirror and fingered his long hair, realizing it looked a bit odd down in a mess and not sure what to do with it. Belarus, seeing his troubles, rose up and came over to help him. She took out a comb from a pocket in her dress and quickly unknotted the tangles in his hair. He watched in the mirror, noticing how his hair now laid neater than it ever had before. She took a hair band out of the same pocket and put his hair somewhat up, resulting in his hairstyle being more like what Lithuania's when it was up as well. (The way it looks at times in the manga).

He smiled, quite liking the hairstyle, and Natalya, obviously still overjoyed at this turn of events, gave him a blinding smile in return. He realized, with a start, that his clothes had become too small for him, with his pants cuffs above his ankles and his shirt's shoulders being a bit too tight, and the arms not even reaching his wrists. He felt a bit ridiculous again, until Belarus walked off then returned with a warm jacket not unlike Russia's, only silver and black, and a bigger pair of clothes. He took them gratefully, and Belarus left the room so he could get changed.

He admired his warm new addition to his wardrobe happily, knowing that it was surely his Papa that had picked it out. He looked back at his bed, and noticed two more things. One, he hadn't needed his glasses. And two, his Papa's scarf lay on the bed, where he must have placed it. He giggled excitedly- those glasses had been such a pain, always getting lost and broken. Even after they had been replaced, he still had trouble with them, and was glad he didn't need them anymore. He went over to the bed, a bit more easily this time, and picked it up, then slowly walked over to the door.

As he opened it, he was met by his Papa, who immediately stopped to take in his new looks. Suddenly, despite his earlier giddiness, Alexei was suddenly nervous. What if his Papa was mad or had not wanted him to become Moscow?

He began nervously saying apologies. "I-I'm sorry, Papa-"

Russia cut him off, seeing how nervous he was, with a reassuring hug. "My little shchenok, how could I be mad? I'm proud, and happy. I can't be mad at you for fixing what was making us so worried. Little Moscow, you are truly my son now." He leaned back a bit, taking a look Alexei, who was filled with happiness and was bursting out in a smile. "Shchenok, you look so different! You look very nice. Do you like the coat? I hoped you would."

Alexei nodded vigorously, and reached up, placing his Papa's treasured scarf around his broad shoulders. Russia patted it appreciatively, then picked Alexei up easily, despite his growth, and carried him to a chair by the island in the kitchen, where his aunts were bustling and England was making himself some tea. He sat down, and Russia hurried to help his sisters, shooing them towards Alexei so Russia could make the food.

They sat in chairs next to him on the island, and they watched the two men get their morning staples together. Ukraine peeked over at his hair and played with it a bit, muttering to Belarus that she was right, it _was_ very soft, and Alexei grinned a bit.

England turned from the pot with a cup of freshly brewed tea in his hand, taking in Alexei with a small smile. "You gave us a bit of a scare, Alexei. No, Moscow now, isn't it?" Alexei nodded, although proclaiming that Alexei was good too. England nodded, figuring now was the best time to explain some things.

"Alexei, you have, as you clearly know by now, become Moscow. Moscow is now your official name, and Alexei your informal, human name, same as all national personifications. I'm not saying to stop going by it, just that when you start going to certain events with nations, expect to be called Moscow. Although, capitals have always been a bit more informal in that way. Also, your father and I have been talking about certain duties you naturally have to uphold as a capital, like it or not, and Belarus brought up the fact that you wanted to take up the work for the magical communities in this country. You should feel them as well, though we'll have a volunteer help you with that kind of thing. Anyways, we discussed, and if you would like, you could take up the paperwork slowly, and even start going to world meetings and the like if you wished."

Alexei turned to his Papa, eyes sparkling, and Russia returned a laughing look. Alexei nodded vigorously, squirming in his chair a bit. Russia fully laughed at this, and walked over to ruffle his hair. "I thought you would be liking that idea," he said, "And the next meeting is in a few months, the day after your birthday. Would you like to be coming to it?"

Alexei was bursting with excitement, and hopped down from his stool to hug Russia. "Yes, Papa, yes! Can I really go and see everyone?"

He nodded, and Alexei squealed even more, giddy. This had been just as good as being picked up by his Papa. He had become immortal and strong just like him, and could help with his work. England stayed for a few more days, making sure the magic had worked without flaw and had also recovered nicely. (It had). They had gone out a few times to get more clothes and things for Alexei, as well as some nicer items for his hair, as insisted upon by his aunts. Ukraine and Belarus, as well as England, while he stayed, helped Alexei out with his new abilities as Moscow, and England realized that Alexei's magic capabilities and power had increased quite a bit, most likely due to his representation of the magical side of the country, and said as much to the family. Things were, once again, peaceful after that.

/\/\/\\\/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

 **Well, the plan is to update on Friday or Saturday. Hopefully you guys liked the chapter, and please tell me your opinions on the classical drawings and if you want one-shots or OCs.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, guys! Wow, looking on that graph, there are so many people visiting from other countries- honestly, it's really amazing, personally, that so many people, from so many countries, are interested in my writing… it made me very happy. Now, I plan to update on Tuesday and again on Friday, then pick back up on the schedule I've had for this previous week. Why? Because I've final exams, and those require studying, but after that is summer, and if I manage to pass math, a lot of time to write. (Promise, people, I'm trying real hard to pass.) On a different note, thanks to all reviewers! The support is overwhelming. Also, to** **Kuroshiro Spade: There will be some mentions of other capitals, but I don't have any plans currently to include them in the direct plot. However, that may change in the future! Onwards!** **Well, the first part of this is filler but I wanted to show some of the relationships between Alexei and the countries close to him. The second part is some minor Dumbledore bashing, done by a certain gentleman of a nation, and some essential plot. Hope you all like this! I don't own Hetalia or Harry Potter, just mucking around a bit!**

 **=-= (Here, a whale face)**

/The day after Alexei's 10th birthday\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Alexei was up early, pulling on his clothes and sliding his jacket on. Yesterday had been amazing, of course, but today he had something even more incredible to look forwards to. His first World Meeting, in which he would see all of the nations he had made friends with for the first time since he had become a capital. Even though Russia had warned him it would be chaotic at times, yet boring at others, he loved the sound of it. It sounded incredible, all of the nations with representations in one room, and while they may squabble, to him it sounded like something to treasure. He had noticed that even though his Papa and his aunts had spoken rather harshly of it, they had had happy looks in their eyes.

He rushed downstairs to meet them, racing to the kitchen where he knew they would be enjoying breakfast. They looked up and greeted him before returning to their meals, smiling a bit at his excitement. He grabbed some oatmeal that had been put out for him, and sat next to Ukraine, who ruffled his hair playfully. It, as always, had been put up in his customary style, the same as when Belarus had put it up the first time. He patted it back down, having a bit of a flashback to when his hair had been more wild, and scarfed down the oatmeal. Alexei finished at around the same time as the others, and sprang up to join them as they got on their shoes.

They went outside, enjoying the warm air that came so rarely. They prepared to nation hop, and Alexei held on to Russia. He could nation hop, but it took less out of Russia to just take him alongside. It was a surprisingly pleasant feeling, nation hopping, and safe. They landed in London, which, coincidentally, had been the meeting spot this time around.

Alexei wasn't worried about running into the Dursleys. He knew it could happen, but he didn't care so much about them anymore, and he doubted they would recognize him. He had gotten a bit taller, and more muscular, banishing that horrible thinness they had left him while keeping a graceful form. His hair had stayed the same colour, and his eyes had a curious purple glint to them, enough so people had to take a second look to make sure they were green. And third. And so on. He trotted confidently after Russia, no longer stumbling, and looked around eagerly. It was interesting, being in a different country, where he didn't feel a connection to the people roaming on the streets. It wasn't a bad feeling, just different. After all, he could still feel his people back in Moscow, and the magic ones dotted around the country.

They went inside a tall, old looking building that he could tell was the national embassy. The nations held all their meetings in buildings like these, where it was easy to pass off their gatherings as meetings of diplomats, and they had soundproofed rooms. Although, all the people inside knew what- and who- they were.

They went down the hallways, passing fancy rooms and décor, to a wide and large room with a circular table with many seats. There was a projector and a place for it to project in front of the oval, and Alexei knew they had come to the right place. There were many people already there, and they had all turned to face the newcomers. Alexei was suddenly hit with nerves. Although he had met and gotten along with many of the people here already, he was worried they would… judge him? He wasn't sure, but he hid behind his Papa instinctively. They had looked curious, from the glance he had gotten at them, and soon they began to speak up.

America was first, as usual. "Hey Russia dude, where's the kid? We've all been excited to see the lil' guy! Did he really become your Moscow?" Russia smiled at him, though not darkly, as he really had gotten calmer and more understanding over the years.

"America, he is behind me. I think you've all made him nervous staring, da? And yes, he is Moscow now. He looks bit different."

Alexei peeked back out hesitantly from behind Russia's frame, eyes hesitant. There were numerous little gasps at his cuteness and the change they could see. He was still scared to come out from behind Russia, until someone approached him.

It was, surprisingly, Prussia. The former nation had been great friends with Alexei, and hadn't been able to come over to see him recently as he had work to do. He crouched down next to Alexei, eyes wide as he marveled at the child's changes in features. He soon grinned, though, and patted Alexei on the head.

"Hey, little birdy, how are you doing?"

Alexei couldn't stop himself at the name, and burst out in a shy grin. Prussia laughed at this, somewhat relieved, and slowly tugged him out from behind Russia. He let himself be pulled away, following Prussia still nervously.

"Look at this guy! He got so cute! Look, Bruder! He's almost as awesome as me!" The nations all murmured in appreciation, most breaking out in grins as they saw their little friend.

Germany got up and approached slowly, making sure to smile, at least a little. Alexei perked up, feeling more comfortable seeing the small grin on the blue-eyed man's face.

Germany, crouching down as well, joined his brother in trying to reassure Alexei. "Hallo, Alexei. Have you been doing vell?"

Alexei nodded, far more comfortable now that the two germanics slightly blocked the other nation's view. Germany had been a faithful friend, and Alexei knew he could trust him as well as Prussia. "Are you looking forvards to the meeting? If you vish, you can sit next to big bruder und I."

Alexei glanced to Russia for permission, and when his Papa nodded, he turned around to face the two and nodded as well. They calmly escorted him to their seats and dragged up another in between them. This gave him a new view on all of the nations looking curiously at him, and he felt far more confident up at their eye level than below. He grinned at them happily and they smiled back, reassured. Some of his friends waved, and he waved back. On the other side of Prussia, a chair was rolled back and Canada sat in it. As the meeting began, Alexei gave him a quick hello, as did Prussia. The two weren't affected by the northern country's invisibility, and he was glad for it, merrily saying hi back.

The meeting continued, and Alexei made small notes on things. Surprisingly, the meeting only got out of hand a few times, and was quickly restored to order soon after every outbreak. The calmness was mainly inspired by the presence of the little boy, although none of them would admit to it. Alexei was enjoying himself, and was opening back up to the crowd of people, especially the Germanic brothers, Canada, Latvia, and Lithuania. After the meeting, Alexei picked up his notebook and pencil and, waving goodbye to the nations, scrambled after his Papa and aunts.

They turned to him, grinning, and he grinned back. Russia asked, "Did you enjoy the meeting, Alexei?"

Alexei beamed. "It was so much fun! It's too bad I can only go once a year. But everyone was really nice, and Ludwig, Gilbert, Matthew and Toris all were great."

Russia nodded. "I shall have to thank them for being so welcoming…" he mused, absently leading them outside. Once outside, they left to a secluded area and nation hopped back home. Alexei led the way inside, and they met over notes from the meeting for the rest of the day.

/ On Alexei's 11th Birthday\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Alexei was having a fantastic birthday. He had invited his closer nation friends and they had come happily- Germany, Prussia, Canada, Lithuania, Latvia, and America. They had already celebrated and eaten cake, opened presents, and sang the songs, and were now relaxing outside in the warm summer air outside on the porch.

Alexei and the other nations, however, were excited for one more event. He and Russia had told the others about the magic business, and surprisingly had gotten help from Prussia and Lithuania for convincing them.

So now they sat on the porch, awaiting England's arrival with the promised letter that would allow him to go to Hogwarts. There was another interesting thing, however, that was happening while they waited. The nations were a bit worried about letting him go back without protection. For one thing, he was sort of cherished by the nations, and they hated the idea that he could get in trouble as the prophecy said. Even though he was immortal, he was still a child, and they felt the need to help him. So they had begun to debate an unforeseen topic.

They were arguing over who would be de-aged and sent to Hogwarts along with him. They had England on the phone as well, for he had agreed to the plan and was waiting to hear who would go so he could acquire letters for them as well.

Lithuania had immediately signed up, and since there was no good reason for him not to, as he could handle his paperwork easily at the school, there was no argument.

Latvia soon followed him into agreeing, and everyone silently thought that perhaps the experience would help the timid nation. Now they were deciding on the third nation, as everyone agreed that any more would be just too suspicious. Canada was an option, but everyone knew him and America couldn't leave each other for long, so that was out. America couldn't go because of that and his government needed him for a while, which everyone could respect. Prussia was out, too, because he had already learned magic and would stand out too much, especially being an albino.

This left Germany, who really was a perfect decision to bring along. Prussia could take care of his work, and he was strong, on task, and dependable. So Germany, Lithuania, and Latvia all signed up to be de-aged and got to Hogwarts with Alexei. England, on the call, heard the decision and hung up so he could go ask for their letters.

/England POV, same time/

England paced in front of a rather homely looking house. The place was old yet neat and detailed, and he felt it reflected the wizard living inside. Albus Dumbledore. He felt annoyed, suddenly, that part of his ritual for summoning demons and misfortune- or Russia- was this man's name. The old idiot was manipulative and cunning, to say the least. He had been so angry after he found out what Dumbledore had done to Alexei that he hadn't spoken to the man for a long time. Now he broke the silence, but only to ask a favor. A very, very, interesting one.

He swallowed. Oh god, he had to ask him to supply four unknown, foreign students letters to go to Hogwarts without references besides his own. On top of that, they wouldn't have any history- the government made sure of that- so neither Dumbledore nor the Ministry could investigate them. Both a blessing and a curse, as while any curious officials shouldn't find out anything about their conditions, there was also nothing to show them that they were who they said they were. So, he went straight to Dumbledore to plead, knowing the man's curious nature would be his best bet.

He finally strode up to the door, knocking firmly on a rather sturdy red door. He heard slow footsteps from inside, and watched nervously as a wizened hand opened the door to reveal a wrinkled face. Albus Dumbledore blinked slowly at him, keen eyes examining him. A slow smile stretched across the man's face, and he opened the door further to allow England in.

As he led England in, he began to talk. "Hello, Arthur. I presume this is a meeting about the request you sent earlier? It's very nice to see a young face in my old age, especially one that never seems to grow older itself. I must say, you left me in quite a bind, informing me that you would come so soon after the letter. Luckily, I already had some tea on the kettle. May I ask why you're in such a rush?"

As he finished speaking, he parked England in a comfortable leathery armchair and sat across from him in an identical one. He waved his wand and steaming tea came floating in, resting on the small tea table between them.

England swallowed and nodded. It was such a typical move for the old man to be so blunt in such a diplomatic way. If he hadn't been alive for so long he might have answered unwittingly- but he had centuries of experience in these situations, and wasn't about to mess up so easily.

"Well, I have acquaintances, very trustworthy, of course, and they have magical children of age that they wished me to find a good school for. I immediately thought of Hogwarts, being my own alma mater, and decided I should go to its headmaster for assistance."

Dumbledore frowned slightly. England was glad he hadn't laid on the flattery too thick, as he knew Dumbledore wasn't the type to go for that. "But, Arthur, why haven't you just gone to the ministry or let your friends sign up the children and send them themselves? It's nice that you thought I was worthy of your time, but wouldn't the Minister be better for your needs?"

England nearly sighed with relief. Dumbledore was asking questions that he had prepared for, and not those horrendously complicated turns of mind the man had. "Ah, you see, they're foreigners, and muggles at that. I recognized the signs of magic in their children when I visited their homes recently, and promised them that I would help. They took to the idea very well, and I know them well enough not to tell, especially when their children are involved. They're good men and women, who've helped me on many occasions."

Dumbledore took a minute, sipping his cooled tea. England could tell he was thinking, but could also see the interest in his eyes. The fish was closing its mouth around the bait- and the hook. Now he just had to cast out something that could ruin him or save him. Either way, it would help him in the long run.

England spoke again, hoping all would go smoothly. "Oh, in case it would be necessary to know for the letters, should you write them, the children are all orphans. Incidentally, that's how I met the parents. I was volunteering at the adoption center, and they all came in as friends already. Of course, that was quite some time ago. I believe the place has been torn down…"

Dumbledore looked at him, and England saw some suspicion, but not enough to believe he had messed things up. Dumbledore sat back and took another drink of his tea. England waited patiently. It wasn't like he could do anything else, and Dumbledore knew that. Finally, the old man set down his cup with a _clink_ and looked back up at him, the familiar smile creeping across his aged face.

"Arthur, you've given me no reason to mistrust you, just be curious about you. Anybody who has your word, has mine as well. I must say, Arthur, you know how to make an old man's life interesting."

England exhaled his relief in a tiny breath of air. Dumbledore ignored it, most likely finding it to be warranted. The man waved his wand at some parchment and envelopes nearby, and they wrote out the special script that only the magic could write, allowing the students access to the school. Dumbledore himself couldn't see what the magic was writing, and this was a show of trust England knew he would have to repay in kind or more- but it was fine, for now. He knew the names would appear on the scroll to be called out at the opening ceremony, and that would have caused problems if not for the fact that that was the first time anybody would look at it.

He drained his cup with finesse, and slowly stood up, then nodded to Dumbledore and made his way out of the house unguided, another show of trust on Dumbledore's part. He knew that he would face some scrutiny later, after it was discovered who Alexei was- for he knew what name would appear on the scroll, and it wasn't the one that would make things easy- but the scar on Alexei's head had both faded slightly, as it had become a much thinner line, and it was covered by his hair. That and his looks, which had changed so much, could excuse him from 'not realizing'.

It was odd, he mused, before Alexei's awakening as Moscow the scar always had an unnerving, dark aura to it. He had always thought perhaps it was because of the Dark curse that had made it, but the feeling had gone away when Alexei became Moscow, and he felt no more signs of any Dark magics around the boy. (Anybody who's read the seventh book knows exactly what this means).

He held the letters in his hand, checking the names that had automatically written without Dumbledore knowing, and winced a tiny bit at Alexei's. _Alexei Braginsky/ Harry Potter._ Oh, that scroll would cause so much confusion.

He found a nice place to nation hop, away from prying eyes of any sort, and appeared on the porch of Russia's summer home. The group jumped as he suddenly appeared then relaxed, watching him excitedly. He felt himself relax as he saw the anticipating smiles on their faces and Alexei's especially, beaming at him in glee. He walked forward and handed out the letters to their proper recipients, saving Alexei's for last.

 **Okay, then, write you all again next week!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey there! I almost updated this on wednesday, actually, thankfully went to check just in case. Currently waiting for my math exam grade, and kind of freaking out over it too. Still more exams to go…. Anyways, I hope you guys like the chapter! Please, tell me if you want little unrelated (or possibly related) oneshots or OCs! Hope you all have a good week. I don't own Hetalia or Harry Potter, just having fun!**

/Alexei's POV\\\\\\\

As England bent over to hand the crisp, cream coloured letter to him, he took it carefully and held it, staring down at the emerald green letters on the parchment. They shimmered as he turned them, glimmering in the reflection of the fire they had (Safely) started to ward away the darkness.

The paper had two of his names clearly printed on the back, and a third written in tiny print just below them: _Moscow, Capital of Russia._ He was glad for the miniscule print, and looking around he saw similarly confused and relieved looks on the other three nation's faces as they looked at their titles. He read the address below, and almost laughed.

 _Porch next to outdoor fireplace, Ivan Braginsky's summer home, Wilderness, Russia._ He heard Prussia laughing at Germany's letter and knew the others had gotten the same thing too. He hefted it, for a moment, in his hands. He could almost feel the magic of it whispering and tingling against his hands, and perhaps it was really there. This- this held a dream, it occurred to him, telling him of adventure and bravery, sacrifice and honour. It felt almost like some sort of sacred item to him, and he was sure to be careful as he peeled it open. Out came more formal parchment, this a bit softer, but still in the beautiful calligraphy. It listed items for him to get at the shopping place England had mentioned earlier, and he realized that this place was openly magical, judging from the contents of the list, and began wondering what it was like exactly.

England, seeing that he and the others had finished looking at the papers, stood up again and calmly strolled over from his chair. "I'll take you four to Diagon Alley tomorrow to pick all this up. You three, come with me." He gestured to the three nations who had elected to come along. "I'll have to de-age you tonight, so you can be ready in the morning."

The three stood up and followed England into the house rather nervously, but excited to be in such young forms. Alexei grinned at their backs, wondering what they would look like as kids his age. He felt himself being picked up by strong arms that could belong to none but his Papa, and he waved goodnight to the remaining party guests as he was carried off to bed. They waved back, stole some cake, then nation hopped one by one back to their homes. He went to sleep that night excited for the following day and clutching the fateful letter to his chest.

The next morning, he awoke to Ukraine shaking him awake, and he blinked at her for a moment before remembering everything and excitedly leaping out of bed. As she left, he raced to put on his clothes as fast as possible, then gathered up his things and letter, and turned to exit his room. As he went outside, he noticed that the other three hadn't gotten up yet, or just weren't downstairs. He turned to Russia, who was scrambling a huge portion of eggs.

"Papa, have the others not woken up yet?"

Russia turned for a second to flash him a grin, and answered as he turned back to his culinary art. "England's up, and he said that you could go wake them up once you get up yourself. He said they looked cute, da?"

Alexei laughed, mind once again flashing to what he thought Germany, Lithuania, and Latvia must look like de-aged; possibly very, very different. He skidded over to Germany's and Prussia's room first, knowing they could help get Latvia up without scaring him much. Prussia, of course, wasn't de aged, and Alexei found him leaning over Germany's bed and chuckling to himself. He turned to Alexei and pointed, apparently having the time of his life.

Alexei tip toed over and discovered that Germany, surprisingly, did not look much different. Only smaller and less muscular, although he knew their true strength hadn't been lessened. His neat, gelled back hair was a bit messy, but he also knew that was just because Germany hadn't properly taken care of it yet. Prussia and Alexei gently shook the boy awake, and Germany shot up, listing a little as his body didn't respond as per the norm.

"Wha..? Ah. It appears England's spell worked then, ja? I shall get ready."

Alexei was impressed by how quick Germany put together the situation, although the spell wasn't supposed to affect thinking and behavior or memories anyway. He and Prussia left the room to allow Germany to put on his freshly shrunk clothes in peace, and waited. The country soon emerged, trotting out with confidence. His hair had been fixed and was now neat, and his clothes fit him perfectly. He was about the same height as Alexei, perhaps an inch or two taller, but the way he carried himself managed to make him more impressive. Prussia had gone off to the kitchen to see if he could help, leaving the two to go wake up the others.

They walked down the hall to get to Lithuania's and Latvia's room, as the two had shared. Lithuania had already gotten up and was quietly making his bed, and turned to them as they entered. Lithuania's hair was a bit shorter than before, but still longer than typical, and hung down in slight waves that looked natural on him. He was the tallest out of them, although no giant, and his green eyes seemed to have a constant soft puppy look. He gestured to Latvia, who was still sleeping in his own bed. Latvia was by far the tiniest of them, who were all at least slightly above average in height. The child was, in fact, miniscule even compared to normal eleven year olds. His short and choppy dirty blond hair hadn't changed, and his slim frame was obvious. Lithuania and Germany gently woke him up without any screaming from him, which was a victory in their books.

He changed quickly and the four slipped along the hallway to the kitchen. All the others were there, and there were many squeals over their cuteness. England got up after they had finished eating, and they made their way to the door. They went outside and waved to Alexei's family, then all nation hopped to London. They appeared in a wooded area, and quickly walked through some streets to a road somewhat off the beaten path, then stopped in front of a dingy and shabby looking pub, and Alexei noticed that none of the passerby save some in cloaks were actually looking at it, and those who clearly saw it were the ones going in.

England looked at their group, and asked, "Everyone see the pub?" they all nodded without hesitation. "Good. I figured nations wouldn't have any trouble, but I wanted to make sure. You see, only those who can do magic or have the capability can see it or other things in the wizarding world. Now, I have to lay out some ground rules applying to the entire year, I'm afraid."

They sighed, having seen this coming. Germany had actually gotten out a notebook, and was prepared to jot them down. "Er- well, the first is that whenever we're in hearing of humans, we must use our human names. I'll give you time to introduce yourselves again after I'm done. The second, try not to show off your superior strength and healing, although I understand it getting away from you. Just make up an excuse, I'm sure that you all can think of a good one, right?" they nodded. "Good. Now, I understand you all attract trouble, but do your best with that. Even if nothing can kill any of you permanently, dying feels weird, and getting hurt still hurts before it heals. Now, reintroduce yourselves, and then we'll get going."

They nodded for the fourth time, and turned to each other. Alexei stepped forward first. "I'm Moscow, or I am being Alexei Braginsky. Let's have a good school time."

They grinned at him and his accented English, although England winced a bit as he did with any country's accent. Germany neatly stepped forwards as well, standing across from Alexei. "Und I am Germany, or Ludwig Beilschmidt. It is a pleasure."

Lithuania gracefully took a fluid half-step and smiled. "I am Lithuania, and my human name is Toris Laurinaitis. I'm glad to come." England gave a small grin at the well-rehearsed English giving off only a small accent compared to the previous two.

Latvia was last, and took his shaking step. "I-I'm Latvia… and you can call me, uh, Raivis Galante. I hope to have a good year with you all." He finished strong, working hard. England knew that they were all easily identifiable by their accents for foreigners, but at least they spoke rather well. Besides, they were all rather charming and mysterious in their own ways, and that would help the other students to liking them.

"Okay then," he said, leading the way to the pub, "Let's go, and try not to make too much of a commotion." They entered into a small throng of people, weaving their way through the crowd, occasionally drawing glances because of their foreign clothes. They made it out to an alleyway that ended in a brick wall. The four looked disappointed, and Alexei especially so. But England stepped up to the wall and brought out his wand, tapping the bricks in order with it.

Suddenly, the walls shimmered into nothing, and a magnificent scene behind them was revealed. They gasped at the rows and rows of shops lining a clean and beautifully cobbled street. People in cloaks walked around, and occasionally children ran by. The whole place shimmered in the sun, which bounced off of displays into windows that held, sometimes to the bursting, mysterious items. The trinkets, cauldrons, and ingredients practically overflowed out of the displays, and the smells coming from some of the shops were incredible.

England whisked them along down the road to a store with robes in the display. He glanced at it for a moment, then turned to his fellow immortals. "You can get your robes here. When you're done, go right and find the bank, it's the one made of marble, and go in. I'll be in there, waiting. I'll be reopening your bank accounts so you can use them. Here, use this for the robes. Get any kind you want, this will be more than enough for any design you want."

They thanked him and watched as he strode off in the direction he had pointed, and caught glimpses of a huge white building down the road. They turned and went in, and the lady separated them into twos, Ludwig with Raivis and Toris with Alexei. Ludwig and Alexei each stood up on stools to allow another woman measure them, and while doing so caught the eye of another boy on a stool. He was blonde haired like Ludwig, but the looks on their faces could not have been more different. While Ludwig had a stiff yet friendly expression, this kid sneered at them cruelly.

He examined them both, unsure of their looks and whether or not to treat them well. Both of the immortals knew this look, as both had dealt with businessmen, even Alexei. The boy spoke up first. "Hello there. Who are you two, and what house do you plan to go into?"

The two exchanged glances- they had discussed houses, earlier, and had decided they all thought Ravenclaw was their best bet. The house wasn't hated or discriminated against by the others, so they could wander a lot more freely and make more friends than other houses. Hufflepuff could have been fine, but they were looked down upon a bit, so that was out. Gryffindor, despite being quite fine, had a distinct rivalry with Slytherin, and vice versa. On top of that, Slytherins were distrusted, and they would rather not be suspicious.

"Ravenclaw." They both answered, startling the boy a bit. "Well, I suppose that one's not that bad. I'm planning to go into Slytherin myself, but if I can't, I plan to go there too." Ludwig and Alexei glanced at each other. They now got why the house had such a bad reputation. "Anyways, I'm Draco Malfoy. What's your names, then?"

"I'm Ludwig, und this ist Alexei. Nice to meet you."

Malfoy looked a bit more curious at the sound of the accent, and asked, "Are you from Germany or something? Father never told me we got transfers."

Alexei nodded for Ludwig. "Da. We are both coming from the different countries to be schooled at Hogwarts. He is from Germany, and I am coming from Russia."

Malfoy still looked unsure whether or not to be condescending. "I see. What are your family names? Perhaps Father has done business with your parents."

Ludwig took up answering again. This boy really did want to know their worth, and it was quite annoying. Luckily, or unluckily, their last names did carry some importance and wealth behind them. "Ja, he might have. I am from ze Beilschmidt family, und Alexei here is of ze Braginsky's."

Malfoy nodded, looking thoughtful. "I might remember some dealings with them… I shall have to mail Father. I suppose I'll get back to you, then. Perhaps you could introduce your friends later."

Malfoy hopped down and paid for his clothes, then exited. At first, Alexei and Ludwig were a bit stricken, until they realized they were seen from the windows. Soon, the madam came to give them their choices, and they were caught up in that. Alexei found a design that was exactly like his coat, only a bit flowier like his father's coat. He found a pair of silver gloves also like his father's and eagerly paid for the outfit.

Ludwig had gotten a rather military-styled deep blue cloak that fit him perfectly, and he had convinced England to shrink his gloves down, so he kept those. As they exited the shop, they met up with Toris and Raivis, who had also gotten customized cloaks.

Toris had a gently green coloured and simple one, well-fitting but loose enough to be as comfortable as possible. Raivis had a red-tinted cloak with golden buttons and golden trim on the cuffs, neckline, and shoulders. They admired each other's clothing for a minute, then trotted down the street, enjoying brief spots of sun as the clouds rolled by. They window shopped a bit, too, glancing into shops laden with ingredients and books and fantastical things.

Remembering their purpose, they dashed as politely as they could to the tall, imposing building. There was a goblin guard standing in front, and he caught them by surprise when he bowed lowly to them. They glanced at one another, then bowed back. The goblin looked stunned, as did any others that had seen the event through the glass doors, but let them in. When they reached the main room, there was another goblin who bowed to them, and they all once again bowed back. Most of the goblins in the room saw this and looked even more shocked, and the goblin in front of them suddenly didn't look quite so disgusted by them.

"Hello, wizards. My name is Griphook," he said, "Am I right in assuming that you are the ones an 'Arthur Kirkland' asked me to bring to him?"

They nodded, and followed the small being as he led them to a stand at which England stood waiting. It had a scale and some blank parchment, as well as some money piled rather haphazardly on it. England turned around and strode over to them eagerly, thanking Griphook.

The goblin hopped up behind the desk and turned to face them, and started to explain what to do. "Do you see these papers? Each of you need to put a drop of your blood on one, and if your blood matches up with a vault, it will show the name of your vault and I will take you to it so you can make a transaction."

Alexei stepped up first, eager to try the magic technique. He took the little pin from the goblin with a "Thanks." He pricked his finger, and was glad to see the tiny thing worked on his toughened skin. He squeezed a drop of blood out as fast as he could before the scratch closed, and it dripped on one of the blank parchments below him. Words spread on the paper as if smoke forming, and wrote the names of two vaults. _Head of Potter Vault_ and _Heir of Braginsky Vault._ Arthur read it over his shoulder and nodded to himself, looking pleased. He handed the paper to Griphook, who looked at it then at Alexei in shock.

"Y-you are the heir to the Potter vault? Then, that means you are… Harry Potter? But why, then, do you have the Braginsky vault to your name as well…?" Alexei looked him in the eye, and explained earnestly. "I was adopted by my Papa, Ivan Braginsky, and I am thinking he made me an heir."

Griphook nodded slowly, and placed the paper carefully on his desk to beckon Toris forward to another blank page. He walked forward, as light on his feet as ever, and stuck himself rather hard with the pin to make blood drip from the cut.

Alexei winced internally, wondering if he had to hit himself with it quite that hard. A drop plopped onto the paper below, and once again words spread on the paper. _Head of the Laurinaitis Vault, Co-Head of Baltic Vault._ Toris smiled lightly and handed the goblin the paper. Griphook, who from Alexei's perspective seemed to be regretting taking their services, gestured to Raivis to come forwards next. His paper read _Head of Galante Vault, Co-Head of Baltic Vault._ Griphook took the paper and glanced between it and Toris', then set the paper down with a long-suffering sigh.

He wearily waved at Ludwig, and after the country finally managed to make the pin pierce his skin, the paper read _First Heir to Beilschmidt Vault, Co-Head of Germanics Vault._ Ludwig blinked, a bit surprised, but then understanding settled in and he handed the paper to Griphook, who rolled his eyes as he took it. He seemed nonplussed as reading, and put it down in the stack with the others accompanied with his longest sigh yet.

He stood up and led the four to mine cart that they thankfully all fit inside with room to spare, and got it going. Alexei and the other immortals yelped as it went on its tumbling way, and staggered off when they reached the first vault. Every one of their vaults had a huge amount of money in them, even the Potter vault, and they left the mine cart upon returning to the normal level as fast as they could.

They carried their bags of gold galleons and such to England, who had gotten them proper bags for their things that they could place the money bags in. After thanking and bowing to Griphook, then bowing back to the guard at the door yet again, they set off to get their books, which they acquired without much hassle. After sorting their things into their bags properly, they went off to Ollivander's wand shop.

England decided, on the way, that he should warn them about Ollivander. "Just so you know, Ollivander is… different, and can see what we are easily. Don't be worried; the family was never the type to go spilling secrets. It helps, too, since our magic is too powerful for normal wands."

Ludwig frowned a bit, but didn't say anything. Soon, they had reached a smaller building, and entered. Inside was a man with silver eyes that never blinked. He stared straight at each of them for a few minutes each in silence, stopping particularly long at Alexei, and finally turned to Arthur and broke the tension a little.

"Hello, Arthur. It has been many years… so many years since you last graced my shop with your presence."

At first, Alexei got annoyed, thinking that the man was being sarcastic, but calmed as he realized Ollivander was simply stating a fact. Ollivander continued in his odd, smooth voice: "I see you have brought others like you, and one not quite like you, but not human either. Hello, Alexei Braginsky. What are you?"

Alexei shot a glance at England, who nodded at him, then answered. "I'm the capital of Russia, my father. I am capital Moscow. It is nice to meet you."

Ollivander slowly took this in, and turned to England again. "Will he require a wand like the others?" He said, tilting his head ever so slightly to the side. England nodded at him, and Alexei could tell even he was a bit unnerved at the man. Ollivander took Ludwig's measurements first, surprisingly, having a small tape measure fly in and take his measurements. Ollivander watched for a time, then departed swiftly to room in the back. He returned holding a box much like the others on the shelves surrounding them, and opened it to reveal a wand. The tape measurer stopped measuring, and flew to the desk to allow Ludwig room for picking up the wand.

"Unicorn hair and dragon heartstring in an oak wand, 10 inches, thick and supple." Ludwig awkwardly swished the wand around a bit, but nothing happened. Ollivander practically squealed and grabbed the wand from him, dashing into the back room and taking out a new one. He brought out another, this time looking confident in his choice.

"An interesting and rather hopeful combo, a shaving form a Shellycoat's shell and a drop of the Bergmonch's oil. Pine, Sturdy but bendable, 13 inches. Good for defensive spells." Ludwig picked it up, and Alexei could tell just by the look on his face that something wonderful had happened, and the room had filled with the smell of the woods and the sound of laughter and clinking. When it faded, Alexei saw the happy little smile on Ludwig's face and grinned to himself. Ollivander seemed thrilled and turned to Raivis next.

The tape measure set about to measuring him, and Ollivander watched until he seemed satisfied, then grabbed another box from the back room. This first wasn't right, and neither was the second, but when Ollivander set the third wand in Raivis' little hand and said

"Jackalope fur with a hair of Lausks. Aspen, swishy but durable, 10 inches, good with charms,"

Alexei felt the room's atmosphere change again and watched as gentle snow drifted towards the ground, together with the crackle of a warm fire and soft voices murmuring. Raivis stared at his wand, a huge, blinding smile on his face, until he gained control of his emotions again and crept back.

Ollivander nodded, smiling gently at the little boy, and waited for him to get back into his comfort zone before waving forwards Toris. He allowed the measuring to commence as it always did, then leaped towards the backroom and brought out a wand.

Alexei, at this point, just knew the moment he saw the wand and felt the aura of the room change as the two got nearer to each other that this would be the one. Toris picked it up, and the room lit up once more in gust of warm spring, scented with baking bread. The happy buzz of people at a market echoed around the walls.

Ollivander looked a bit disappointed not to be given a hard search, but smiled nonetheless. "A steady and loyal combo, although the length and bend of it give a hard edge; the last sheaf of corn from a harvest ritual, a scrap of Laume's hair ribbon, 12 inches, elm, thin but tough and unmoving. Best for complicated spells."

Toris gave his gentle smile and stepped back, obviously happy. Finally Alexei got beckoned up, and they went through many wands before they stopped at one. Ollivander at this time was absolutely exhilarated, and sprinted to Alexei to give him this one.

"A scrap of Leshy's moss, and one very special item indeed, a shard of Vasilisa's doll. 11 inches, lilac, swishy but nigh unbreakable. Let's see if it chooses you…"

Alexei felt the pressure change for the fourth time and smiled. He eagerly scooped up the wand, and immediately heard the tolling of a bell, and the illusion of burning candles hung in the air, and for a second he saw himself in Moscow, standing on a street and watching the people pass by. A small, pleased smile leapt to his face and he kept it as his vision faded and he returned to the room in the split second. Now he understood why the others had looked so pleased as well.

He returned to England's side, glancing the others, who gave him awed looks that he was sure he wore too. Ollivander had one final thing to say before they paid, however. "Since England first came, I started trying to make wands that would work properly for the nations. I found that dual cores of mythical objects and beings from those countries would be the only ones that could channel properly, and the wand wood is infused with soil from your lands. Moscow, you got lucky… I took soil from your city when making a wand suitable for Russia. I've been told by Romania… that my wands help ease the stress of nation hopping as well. They shall suit your needs well."

England smirked and nodded, and Alexei thanked him. They paid the man and left, heading for one last place.

They stopped in front of an open air shop that held tons of animals creating a cacophony that echoed down the large street. The passerby walking by didn't seem to mind, but the immortals, excluding England, stared at the place in shock.

There were birds, frogs, owls, cats, dogs, smaller creatures milling around, cages or free. They entered cautiously, poor Raivis trembling even more than usual due to the excessive movement around him. Raivis retreated to a corner with the smaller animals, calming down bit from finding like minds.

Ludwig was bowled over almost immediately by a German Shepherd puppy, which most likely had sniffed out the scent of other dogs on him. It licked his face and wagged its tail like a propeller, and Alexei almost laughed at the startled and and happy look on Ludwig's face. The country had always taken care of dogs, and this seemed like it wouldn't change even at Hogwarts.

Ludwig managed to get the dog off of him and took it over to the counter to get it and items for it. The lady at the counter smiled genially at him, and said, once taking in the dog sitting obediently at his heels, "Well, well. That one's never been for manners, but it seems to have taken a shine to you. Do you want him? He hasn't got a name quite yet, so you might want to think of one now so I can make a collar for him."

Ludwig thought for a moment, then looked at the woman decisively. "I'll call him Eisen. Thank you for your consideration."

She looked a bit wondering at his accent, but waved her wand and the name embedded itself in the tag on the collar, which Ludwig fastened onto Eisen's neck, then attached a leash to. He paid for the things, then went off to sit by England outside, looking pleased and petting his new pet.

Alexei looked over at Toris, and was surprised to see him petting a rather worn-looking medium sized brown owl that had many scars and looked a bit ruffled, but held itself with pride and accepted the admiration easily. Toris took it over to the lady at the counter, who had been looking after Ludwig in surprise, and she looked even more shocked upon turning around and seeing Toris with what had to be the most beat up owl in the shop.

"Are you sure you want him, young man? He might be orderly, but he's been through a lot. It's understandable if you want a younger, nicer owl." Toris shook his head placidly, and the owl in the cage chuffed appreciatively at him. She shrugged and handed over food, for which he paid for neatly. "His name's Peleda, odd name if you ask me, but I'm not the one who did it."

Toris chuckled a bit to himself, earning a curious glance from the lady, but walked off happily with his Barred owl. Alexei felt tugging on his sleeve as he stood near the owl cages, and turned to find a beautiful snowy at his side, pecking at him through the bars. Once it saw that it had his attention, it gave a low hoot, and he gave it some pats on the head. He quite liked it, as it seemed to have as much character as the other country's pets, and the snowy owl could most likely brave the harsh weather of Russia easily, coming back to live with him and taking letters.

On top of that, it was a truly beautiful bird, and a silent predator that Alexei admired. He spent a few more minutes with the owl before taking it up to the counter to buy it. The lady almost laughed now, looking at the third customer in a row to pick out a less commonly chosen creature. "Well, lad, seems like you've found an interesting one. Her name's Hedwig, and normally she's pretty feisty, although maybe she likes you more than most. You taking her?"

Alexei nodded, irked a tiny bit at the constant negative descriptions of the pets. He paid for her things, then took everything outside to sit with the others, letting Hedwig interact with the other pets. He and the others turned, curious to see what animal timid Raivis was going to choose. They were surprised and amazed to see the tiny boy staggering out with a huge Great Gray owl that was almost half as tall as him. He could barely walk from the awkwardness of trying to carry the cage that held it, which was as tall as him, and the things for the owl. He wasn't having trouble with the weight, being stronger than the typical person, but carrying a gigantic, awkward cage was hard. They rushed over to help, and Alexei stole a glance at the absolutely flabbergasted shop keep.

England carried the cage for Raivis, although glanced at him after a bit and asked, "Whatever possessed you to get this huge guy? And what's his name?"

Raivis stroked the owl through the bars, and they all noticed that his shivering settled for a minute as he answered. "H-he's nice to me, so… and his name is Janis, I got to name him…".

Toris smiled at the smaller boy, patting him on the shoulder. No one remarked on how the contact calmed the little nation like the owl's had earlier. "Well, that's good. It's nice to have a friend, and I don't think you've kept an animal before, have you? It'll be fun, don't worry."

They toddled off with their things and while they were trying to find a good place to nation hop back when they bumped into a tall, bearded man who looked like he couldn't possibly be human with all that height. He smiled kindly at them as they got back up, declining their apologies and helping them pick up their things.

He caught Alexei's eye and asked, "So 'o are yeh, then? You all look like foreigners, if yeh don't mind me sayin'."

Alexei nodded back, continuing to help the others pick up their things. He had been miraculously spared by the incident, leaving him free to talk. "I am Alexei, and I am from Russia. These are my friends, and they are also coming from different lands as well, da? It is nice to meet you."

Hagrid chuckled at his accent, most likely comparing it to his own, Alexei thought. "I heard about you all! Aren't you the transfers coming in this year? Oh, it's nice to see you, Arthur." This last bit was said when he spotted England's face rising above the squabble of the people immortals trying to reclaim their items from the ground. "Ah, hello there, Hagrid. It's nice to see you again. I heard you've been made groundskeeper, is it nice?"

Hagrid bellowed a booming laugh, and Raivis, having claimed his things and stood back up, nearly fell over from shaking so hard. "Yes, it is, Arthur! Dumbledore is a good man, to let me back." Arthur's smile went a bit weak after hearing this, but agreed as well as he could. After helping them get the rest of their things back up, Hagrid left with a "Be seeing yeh at Hogwarts, Alexei!" and they continued on their search for a good place to nation hop. Eventually, they found one, and reappeared in front of Russia's summer home. Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus were waiting outside, and immediately leapt to their feet to help them carry their stuff inside.

Alexei showed his cloak off to Russia, earning appreciative looks, and they settled in for the end of the day. England left before they went to sleep, declaring that he had work to do, and that he would return the day they would go to Hogwarts. They bid him farewell, and went to sleep.

 _Earlier that day, Dumbledore POV_

Dumbledore paced his office. He remembered the day years ago when he had felt that Harry Potter had left the Dursley's home for good, and he had gotten chewed out thoroughly for not thinking that the savior of the wizarding world might get kidnapped by adoring fans or those who sought a ransom. Minerva and Severus had been extremely angry at him, and both had been short or given him the silent treatment for days on end.

He could reassure them, however, that Harry hadn't been severely hurt or killed, and that had appeased them as well as the Wizengott and Ministry, thankfully. He had been hoping that Harry would somehow receive his letter and come to school, but hadn't expected it to actually happen. Now he paced, having felt the flare of the young boy receiving the letter and accepting it. He had felt it last night, but had been to sleepy due to the lateness and the earlier meeting with Arthur that he hadn't thought about it properly.

Now he was, having turned and paced along his office for hours now. He and the other teachers were here to get started on preparing for the new school year, so he decided to send some paintings down to fetch them.

Soon enough, they burst in, having caught the 'urgent' part of the message very clearly. He turned to face them with a grim and puzzled look on his face, and he saw them both catch their breaths in shock at this look. He sighed, and started what would be an interesting conversation indeed. After all, he still needed to talk to them about the transfers as well.

He began. "Severus, Minerva, I thank you for feeling the need to come here so quickly. I wish I had understated the importance of my message, for I did not wish to make you exert yourselves so. But while I have you in my office, I need to discuss certain… events that have come up." They glanced at each other, then at him.

Minerva spoke up, not afraid, though she never was. "What events, Albus?" He sighed again, and prepared himself. He would talk of Harry first, of course. The transfers might be looked over in the shock.

"You see, it appears that somehow Harry Potter, the boy who lived, then disappeared, has gotten a Hogwarts letter for him and accepted it."

They gasped, Minerva a bit louder, and Severus going even paler than he normally was. "Yes, and i wanted to ask you if, perhaps, you sent a letter for Harry, as i do not recall doing so myself, i'm afraid." They shook their heads, looking dumbstruck. "I see. Well, as we do not have any way of contacting Harry, we will have to wait for the sorting. It may not be the best way of doing things, but it is the only way, as Aurors could not find him themselves. Also, i have another thing, although this is rather good news." They nodded apprehensively. "Do you remember Arthur? Not Weasley, but Kirkland?"

Severus spoke up this time, as dry as always. "Of course we do, Albus, the man leaves an… impression on everyone." Dumbledore chuckled at this rather accurate description of Arthur.

"Yes, he certainly does, doesn't he? Well, it seems he has some foreign students- four to be exact- that want to come to Hogwarts. I accepted, of course, and i just wanted to tell you so you knew of this. Feel free to tell the other teachers, as well, since they'll be teaching too."

Severus and Minerva, while looking a bit off at the news, blinked and set off towards the other teacher's rooms. Dumbledore sat back down in the chair behind his desk and relaxed. It was easier after putting their helplessness in the Harry Potter situation into words. They would merely wait and hope that he came as he had agreed to in the letter. The transfers were interesting, but his interest in them could wait until after the situation had cleared up.

 **Well, hope you all liked it! Remember, friday updates and if you have any questions, Ocs/oneshots, or advice, please don't hesitate! Oh, yeah. I got all of those things for the wands out of folklore from their countries, (Vasilisa's tale was always a favorite, and it fitted "Harry" so well, personally, that I found myself needing to put that in there.), and the animals were all named with words from their languages, except Hedwig. Hope you guys liked it, although Latvia's might be odd because Latvian religons and spirits were mostly discarded a long time ago, so there isn't much documentation on it.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey! Yay summer vacation, this is my first day! (I passed, by the way). Here's another chapter, and I noticed that I've got visitors from Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, and Russia! Not that the other countries aren't important, but it seemed interesting. Sorry, Estonia, for not including you. Personally, I figured he might not like it much because technology apparently doesn't work there that well. Anyways, as usual, if you've got an OC or oneshot, don't be afraid to suggest one! I don't own Hetalia or Harry Potter.**

 **Oh, and before I forget-**

 **:** ** _Nation Speak_**

 **I may have certain words from other languages scattered throughout, but I'll put the translations for those at the footnote thing. Except for things like 'yes', and 'goodbye' or 'hello'. Or other simple pleasantries. If it's something that's not easy to know from context, I'll be sure to put in a translation.**

/ September 11th\\\\\\\

Alexei and the shrunken nations waited at the door for England to arrive, having organized their things and gotten their pets in line. England appeared, and strode up to them hurriedly. "Have you got all of your stuff together, then?," He asked, taking in their appearances.

They had already put on their cloaks so they could be comfortable in rapidly cooling country's temperature, and England had decided to let them, as it should be cold enough in London that they would need them.

"Yes", "Da," and "Ja" echoed back at him, and with a wave and goodbyes to Russia and his sisters, they nation hopped right over to London. They took a trolley down to King's cross, luckily not attracting too much attention, and strode down the walkways, following England, who was looking for platform 'nine and three quarters'. They weren't having much luck until they bumped into a group of red-haired people by accident.

"Sorry!" said England, regaining his balance and helping the woman he had bumped into up. Then he gasped, as did the red-haired woman.

"Well, if it isn't Arthur Kirkland!", the woman said, accepting the help graciously. "And how have you been? Getting some kids to Hogwarts?"

England chuckled a bit sheepishly. "Actually, Molly, these are some friend's children. Ah, speaking of Hogwarts, they changed the place to get onto the platform, didn't they? Do you know where it is, by any chance?"

She nodded and gestured for England to follow her, and they stopped in front of a massive brick column. She turned back to England and the rest of the nations, addressing them all. "Now then, all you have to do is run through. I quite like it, to be honest. It's much better than the old one." She turned to her own children. "Come on then, show them what I mean! It's best just to run at it, dearies," she added to england and the nations, who looked a bit amazed.

The twins -just like the Italy twins, Alexei thought- ran at the barrier and vanished through to the other side. They stared in awe, and Ludwig stepped forward. "May I try next, Ma'am?"

"Of course you can! And please, just call me Mrs. Weasley. The ones who just went through are Fred and George, Percy went ahead already, and Ron here is a first year, same as you! Ginny will come next year."

Ludwig greeted the children and began running quickly towards the wall, easily pushing his laden cart in front of him, Eisen faithfully at his heels. He vanished through insanely quickly, having run faster than a human would run in his nervousness. The Weasleys stared after him, and Molly turned to England after a second.

"That was amazing! Does he run or something?" England hesitated, then nodded.

Mrs. Weasley smiled at him, although she caught the pause, and turned to Toris and Raivis, one of which was trying to give the other a pep talk. "Would you like to go next? I can help you, if you want." She smiled gently at Raivis, dropping down to his height. The other nations almost laughed, knowing that the boy was actually centuries old and would pull himself together anyways. However, it was nice, seeing the little boy accept her help and Toris trailing carefully after them, as much of a mother hen to Raivis as Mrs. Weasley was. They went through, and everyone else followed them hastily.

As Alexei went through, he gasped at seeing a gleaming scarlet train lined with black. It had been carefully polished, he could tell, and it was huge. Students were milling onto it, and he hurried to catch up to the others in his group. England had found them all an empty place to climb up into, and Ron followed the nations up into the empty cabin. They were lucky, as it held all of them with plenty of extra room, and they could lean out the window to wave at England, Mrs. Weasley, and Ginny.

"Auf Wiedersehen!"

"Sudie!"

"Ardievas..!"

"Proshchay!"

"Goodbye!"

England and Mrs. Weasley, as well as Ginny, waved back at them, beaming. They slumped back into their seats, and looked around at each other. Ron was peering interestedly at them when his two older twin brothers came in.

"Hey, there."

"We just thought we'd drop in for a bit, y'know?"

"Yeah, it's not often that we get foreigners here." The immortals looked at each other, unsure of their next move.

Alexei spoke up, accent as powerful as ever. "So you are wanting to know something of us, da? What is it?"

The twins looked at each other and smiled their interesting cheshire cat-like grins. "Well, not much. We were just wondering if you were really transfers, I guess. See you later, Ron. You too, transfer kids." George said, and the two hurried down the corridor. The nations looked at each other again, and tried to plan out what to do in case someone started asking questions, especially about Alexei.

" _England said he had told Dumbledore ve vere adopted, correct?"_

" _Yes, he did. It would be for the best if we stayed with that story."_

" _Da, I agree. However, what will we be doing when they read the scroll and are seeing who I am?"_

" _Well, it's best to be honest in that you are Harry Potter. We will surely be brought with you if they pull you out, since we're connected by being friends. We can figure it out as they question us."_

" _Perhaps ve can pretend to not know? Moscow, your scar has become less distinct, and your looks have changed. It may be enough."_

" _I-I'm not sure… w-well, part of our c-cover i-i-is that we're muggleborn, so… why don't we just a-act like we didn't care that much… and didn't kn-know it was really that important…"_

" _Da, that's perfect! You're good at these things, Latvia! Any muggleborn won't be caring as much, so it would be sense making that we don't, even more as being foreign."_

" _Latvia, it's another of your miracles."_

" _Ja, that plan sounds gut. Are ve in agreement?"_ They nodded at each other, then remembered Ron, who was staring quite openly at them. None of them were really bothered, coming from countries that allowed this kind of behavior, but Ron quickly averted his gaze and asked, a bit hesitantly, "What are your names?"

Alexei was a bit happy that he asked, even knowing it was a custom. "I am Alexei, and this is Ludwig, Toris, and Raivis. I come from Russia, Ludwig is from Germany, Toris is from Lithuania, and Raivis is from Latvia. It is a pleasure to meet, da?"

Ron nodded, a smile blooming across his face. "What house are you going to go into? My family's in Gryffindor, so i want to get in there too."

"Ah, ve vish to get into Ravenclaw, but Gryffindor vouldn't be bad," Ludwig said kindly. Ron looked deep in thought, and was about to answer when the cabin door was pushed open. In it stood a curly, brown haired girl of medium height, who looked around the cabin before focusing on them. Toris, curious, asked, "What are you looking for? Perhaps we can help."

She looked at them, as if noticing them for the first time, and said, "Oh, I'm trying to find a toad for another first year, Neville Longbottom. Although, I think he may have left it in his bags. At least, that's what his friend said. I'm Hermione Granger, are you those transfer students that Fred and George have been telling everyone about? What countries do you come from?" Toris spoke up, giving her his kind smile. "Well, I'm Toris, and I'm from Lithuania. This is Alexei, of Moscow, Ludwig, from Germany, and Raivis, of Latvia. Please, sit down. There's plenty of space."

She smiled hesitantly back and sat down on a seat on the same side as Ron, facing the nations. She continued her barrage of questions from there. "Why did you say Alexei was from Moscow? Isn't that the capital of Russia?"

They winced a bit, and Toris looked apologetic for his slip up for a split second. However, he quickly recovered, and said, "Yes, it is. Alexei always lived in Moscow, so it's second nature to say that. I'm sorry for the confusion."

She shook her head at him and her smile grew a bit wider at his politeness. "No, I should've guessed. Anyways-" She was cut off from whatever she was about to say by an older woman knocking on the door and saying, "Anyone want anything from the food cart?". Alexei got up, taking orders from everyone and even Ron and Hermione, who both promised to pay them back but were told not to worry about it. He walked back in holding a large pile of sweets, and waited for Raivis to flip out the table in the middle of the compartment so he could set them down on it.

He grabbed a Chocolate frog from the pile and opened it before Ron could warn him; it burst out and nearly made its escape, but he grabbed it with inhuman reflexes. "What…? How did candy do that?" Alexei asked, suddenly wary of the pile on the table. Ron was laughing at his astonishment, and soon enough all of them were chuckling a bit. "No, but this is an important thing, da? Is all candy here… attacking and running? Are we to be fighting the foods at hogwarts?"

Suddenly, the other nations and Hermione looked concerned, and Ron began laughing even more. "No…*gasp* ..the frogs.. *gasp*..are the only ones…" Ron doubled over just laughing at the ridiculousness. When they had finally pulled themselves together, they sat for a while in content silence, snacking on the things in the food cart, until the door was pulled open for a third time.

Malfoy strolled in, looking round at them all, with two tall, heavyset and not very smart looking boys behind them. He focused on Alexei and Ludwig, but gave some attention to the other foreigners as well. He completely ignored Ron and Hermione, and just this was enough to get on all their nerves.

"Well, hello there. I said we'd see each other again. Apparently our parents did do business deals, and so did your friend's parents. It's funny that you're all named after them, though. Well, except you, Braginsky. Some kind of foreign thing?" Hermione narrowed her eyes behind him. He didn't give them to time to answer though, too deep into his business spiel. "Anyways, I was wondering if you wanted to come with me into a more… private place to talk." Malfoy said this with a snide glance and a sneer towards Hermione and Ron, then looked back at the immortals expectantly.

Toris took up the effort of staying neutral; he was the best at it out of all of them. He slid forward and nodded to Malfoy, and spoke their answer. "Perhaps later; we're in the middle of something here, but we'll be sure to get back to you. It would be interesting to learn of trade practices in England."

Malfoy looked annoyed and disappointed, but took the offer as it stood, nodding, and before he turned to leave, he fired a parting shot against the other two in the compartment. "Well, I'll be going, although I don't understand why you think Weasley here is a good business partner. I mean, their debt history isn't speaking for itself, although all the children do." Ron shot up, a snarl forming, but Hermione kept him down, although she, too, looked angry. Malfoy noticed her, and continued on his way, but not without one last disparaging comment. "And I'm sure you have a _great_ reason to be here, even though I've never seen anyone quite so… plain." He left with a smirk playing over his lips, and banged the door closed.

At this point, both of the others in the compartment looked furious, and slightly angry at the others in the compartment for not coming to their rescue. Ron lost his temper first, bursting out with "Why didn't you guys say anything?! Too worried you'll get on his father's bad side?!" Hermione didn't say anything, but Alexei knew she felt the same way from her thin lips and slight glare. But Raivis, surprisingly, stood forward to regain their trust. Still shaking, and perhaps Ron and Hermione took pity on him for that, as they settled down a bit, he defended them.

"W-we aren't agreeing w-w-with him, it's j-just that we r-really can't get on his father's bad s-side. We're t-transfers, and he could actually k-kick us out. But as s-soon as we can send letters to our own p-parents, we'll be asking permission t-to fight back, since t-they could keep us from being kicked out… Also, he l-left before we could defend you… trust me, we don't l-like him either, and don't plan on m-meeting him." He finished with a sigh, and quickly scooted back and hunched over into his usual small position.

The other two looked surprised, as did the nations. Alexei was pretty pleased with his small friend. Raivis hadn't stood up for himself or others like that in a long time, and he began to think that maybe the others were right in that this adventure would be good for the little nation. Hermione smiled, although it was a small one, at Raivis, and Ron sat back and visibly relaxed. He opened his mouth again, and, still fearing they weren't out of the woods yet, Alexei jumped in.

"We are not caring as much as this Malfoy has been towards how important our parents are. We do not need that, and our parents are not needing that either. We just do not wish to make enemies so early. But he made fun at you, so we do not care about making him mad anymore. Next time he does this, we will get angry too."

Ron looked taken aback, as did Hermione, but the other nations just looked proud of him for saying it so well. Ron rubbed his nose, thinking, although Alexei wondered if it was because of the dirt mark on it.

Finally, the redhead spoke, ears turning red as well. "Thanks, mate. I shouldn't have been mad at you, but the guy is an annoying little bloke, huh? Sorry, I guess." Alexei tossed him a pack of jelly beans as acceptance, and the boy caught it swiftly. Then Ron looked up at the other inhabitants of the carriage, starting to get an evil grin. "Hey, you guys haven't tried Bertie Bott's yet, have you? Here-" and he got them all packages- "These come in every flavor, and I mean every. Fred and George always gave me the bad ones, but sometimes I'd get some okay ones like pumpkin pie. You have to try!"

Although Hermione handed her box back, explaining briefly that her parents were dentists, even she accepted a couple of interesting ones that they had dared her to eat.

Soon, they were left with the ones they hadn't dared to touch earlier, staring down at them as if they would poison them. Ron was the first to reach over and take one, picking up an angry red bean. They watched him, waiting, and he paused before shutting his eyes and popping it in his mouth. It seemed fine for a second, and they grew less tense, but suddenly Ron's face became a greater red than it had before, and he grabbed a convenient pitcher of water and began gulping it.

Alexei was the first to start laughing, and the others soon followed. Ron, finally getting over the heat a bit, managed to gasp out, "I… Think… it was… chili, mates… evil…" He finished off the pitcher after the declaration and slumped back in his seat, weary.

Then, with a glint in his eye, he pointed at Toris. "Oy, you, your turn. Pick your bean." The others turned to a horrified Toris, watching as he apprehensively studied the beans. Alexei got worried, realizing that they would all have to pick the beans, and whoever was left would be left with the least wanted one. Toris snatched a distinctly yellow one, and chewed it quickly until he realized what flavor it was.

Toris gave a small smirk and announced, "Banana. To you, Raivis."

They groaned at his luck, and Raivis wandered quaveringly forward, watching the beans as if they would leap up and bite him. He finally tentatively grabbed a dark green bean, then slowly and hesitantly bit into it. They watched his expression go absolutely blank and started to giggle. (You all know that face people get when something smells or tastes so awful, and they can't quite quite tell how to process it, I'm sure).

He swallowed it quickly, then grabbed his own cup of water and gulped it. When he came up for air, he said, "Seaweed… Y-your turn, Alexei."

Alexei gave a sigh of relief, as Hermione's and Ludwig's faces darkened, and picked up an orange bean that had been almost hidden. The others gasped at his find, and muttered enviously. Alexei started eating it, and relaxed when the sweet flavour of mangoes spread through his mouth. He chuckled, and said, "I am having mango flavour. You are going next, Hermione."

She sighed, but looked delighted to be included, shooting Ludwig an unrepentant look as he bemoaned his last pick. She carefully took a grey bean and chewed it, then started coughing. Alexei quickly grabbed her a glass of water, and watched as she gulped in in between coughs. Ron patted her on the back, and Alexei could see that Ludwig was ready to give the her the Heimlich at any sign of choking. But she didn't, and finally exhaled and inhaled free of coughing.

She wiped her face of the tears that came of coughing too much, then looked up at their startled faces, managing to laugh a little. "Pepper. Really, why are there such awful candies in these boxes? It makes no sense. But it's your turn, Ludwig."

Ludwig had a little grin on his face as he reached forward and unhesitantly took the last candy, a creamy yellowish bean that had looked so bad no one dared touch it. Toris, catching on to his friend's confidence, smirked again, this time even more, and the rest of the group looked at him for an explanation. As Ludwig downed the bean without hesitation, Toris explained. "He's got a really strong stomach, so he's not the type to care."

Ron muttered angrily, but was subdued when Ludwig announced, "It vas mashed potatoes, so it does not matter. Good game."

They settled back down, with Ludwig feverishly cleaning the table of their mess and neatly piling their purchases in front of their respective owners. They didn't get to stay seated for long, however, as a voice echoed through the train, telling them to get their cloaks on and put any items back inside their trunks to prepare to exit the train. All of the inhabitants of the overlarge cabin turned and somehow squashed themselves together so they could all see out of the window, waiting for Hogwarts to appear. And appear it did, at first a speck on the rolling hills, covered by thick forest, but slowly revealed as the train came closer. Alexei was sure he wasn't the only one to gasp as the castle was finally revealed to them in its full glory- even Ludwig looked amazed, and his country was dotted with the resplendent buildings. The gleaming towers stretched far overhead, flashing in the blue skies as the sun had no clouds to block its rays. The high-reaching peaks stretched and twisted downward, darkening as they did so, sculpted by the builders and the elements. It looked old yet not crumbling, resolutely keeping its stance throughout the centuries. The lake below it shimmered as well, and as they caught a peek of it, Alexei could've sworn he saw a tentacle for a second there- but perhaps not.

A reminder to put on their things and clean up for departure had the other two scrambling to put on their cloaks and slip their wands into pockets. Ron and Hermione, glancing over, looked confused at their different styles in cloaks that they hadn't noticed till now. Ron, sliding on the sleeves of his and fastening the buckles, apparently decided to ask. "Hey, y'know that we have a uniform here, right?"

The immortals cast glances at each other, but shrugged. Alexei decided to answer for them. "We were told we could wear these. They are made to be like our normal clothes, da?"

Hermione nodded slowly, eyeing the foreign cloaks. "Well, that does make sense… it's nice of them to let you, isn't it?" Alexei nodded and fastened his cloak, then pulled his trunk down easily, even though it was much heavier than someone of his stature could handle easily. The other nations did the same with their bags, and they all missed Ron's impressed gaze- and the narrowed eyes of Hermione Granger, who was already wondering what book would tell her their secret.

 **I know, this one's a lot shorter, but there's a lot of plot coming up in this next chapter, and soon, so I really kind of had to end it here before it got way too long. (I mean, the next chapter's going to be a bit of a reveal, isn't it?) Besides, this really wasn't that bad of a cliffhanger, was it? Well, I plan to update again Monday. See you later!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, guys! Sorry I updated this today instead of yesterday, but the plot and time got away from me. This one became long quick, and next chapter there'll be the POV of some of the others. And oh, Hagrid's accent, what are you doing? I reread some of the books, and it changes constantly. This is my best… representation? -I don't own Hetalia or the Harry Potter series, fortunately or unfortunately.-**

The train jerked to a halt, hissing and steaming, and they poured out of the compartment into the hallway, then filed out onto the grass below the train, Ludwig helping Hermione down gently, as she was carrying several stacks of books. The group wandered down the green and forested path, darkened by the beginnings of a night sky, to a gentle beach with boats, where a giant of a man was standing amid a torrent of young students.

The man turned, seeing them, and they recognized him as Hagrid, the man they had run into while out shopping. Ron and Hermione didn't know him, but Toris muttered to them under his breath, telling them who the man was.

Hagrid yelled over to them suddenly, causing Raivis to jump a bit; "OI! YE ARE FIRS' YEARS, RIGH'?" They nodded vigorously, nervous. "ALL THE FIRS' YEARS GO ON TH' BOATS, COME ON, LADS!"

They hustled over through the crowd, sliding through throngs of older students to get to the boats with their fellow year. Hagrid patted Alexei's shoulder, and carefully got them all onto a bigger boat than the rest. The size was explained when he got into the back and began rowing, leading the first years through the lake.

They filed up the stairs, looking up at the behemoth doors as the students passed underneath. Waiting for them was an older, prim looking woman who was looking down at the first years. Her eyes told all those who looked in them that she was not a pushover, and her very demeanor radiated an unbending will. Hagrid nodded to her, and left the first years in her care.

She sternly gazed at them and started snapping off instructions without hesitation, causing some of the more weak willed students to jump. "This is Hogwarts, the place in which you will spend seven years learning of magic unless, of course, we see fit to send you home. I am Professor McGonagall. In a few minutes, I shall return to lead you to the Great Hall, which is through these doors. In there you shall be sorted into one of the four houses, and you shall spend the majority of your time in those houses and with others in the same house. After you are all sorted, we will commence with dinner, and then the House Prefects and Head Boys and Girls shall lead you to your House common rooms. I shall return soon. In the meantime, clean yourselves up and prepare." With this, she turned and left.

They stayed in the long, wide hallway with all the students, and they all stood quietly, waiting for something to happen, for the Professor to come and get them, when pearly, ethereal wisps began leaking through a wall. People appeared, insubstantial as smoke, but clear in their features, casually drifting as they talked and joked, uncaring of the eyes below them. Alexei was shocked, gazing at the beings, no, they had to be ghosts, although different from the dangerous beasts from his fairy tales. These looked normal and acted normal as well, not mind-twisting devils that would sooner kill you than speak to you.

He winced as some other kids screamed at the sight of the ghosts; some people were very excitable, it seemed. The ghosts finally turned to them, fascinated. A rather portly one spoke up first, then the others tried to hold a conversation with the students. It wasn't really going well, since the students were mainly too scared of the phantoms to make legible conversation.

Alexei wished that they had continued this, however, when the ghosts caught sight of the immortal transfers and fell silent, eyeing them suspiciously. The students around them, whom Alexei had already noticed were glancing at their group, took this as an invitation, openly gazing at the transfers in their foreign cloaks and styles. Alexei looked straight back at them, as did his friends, as per their country's culture said they could. Staring was accepted in their more blunt countries, especially in Germany and Russia, and the two Baltics weren't strangers to it either. Ron and Hermione, noticing what their friends were doing, did their best to mimic it in a show of bravery. The British students, from a land that doesn't encourage behavior like that, soon broke the staredown. The muttering slowly died down when students lost interest in the immortals and began to get nervous again, fidgeting and glancing from time to time at the large doors that obviously led to the place other people were, judging by the noises coming from within.

Suddenly, Professor McGonagall returned, striding up to them and ordering them all into a line, and with that they entered the Great Hall. Alexei took in a slight breath, glancing around at the giant room. He had seen places better, yes- Notre Dame, and the Vatican, St. Mark's and such- but this place was openly magical, and _brilliant._ The hall itself was huge and long, easily allowing long tables sporting what must've been House colours to not even fill it halfway. The stone, perhaps a mix of marbles, glimmered dully in the flickering of candles that floated, causing flickers of light to catch different surfaces, reflecting up to the ceiling which may have been the greatest marvel in the room. It shone down on the occupants of the hall with the many stars dotting the midnight sky it showed, appearing as if the ceiling itself, much like early constructs of Italy, was open, unable to support a dome. But on closer inspection, and an offhand whisper from Hermione, the roof was revealed to be there, just charmed to show the weather, almost more beautifully than the true thing.

Alexei was cut off from his admiration, however, when he glanced over to the teacher's table. There sat a long row of adults, looking quite different from each other, and a few he felt deserved extra attention. A man in a long, dark cloak with spread attachments somewhat like a bats', a trembling man with a turban, the rigid Professor McGonagall, and an old, welcoming looking man with a long, silver beard descending past the table.

The man, Alexei had no doubt, was the Headmaster Dumbledore England had told them about, and had warned them was going to put them through quite the interrogation once Alexei's identity was discovered. They had even been warned of mind reading, although England had shrugged it off, saying that they should be able to block it fairly easily. The man, England had admitted, was decent enough, he just found himself in too many situations requiring manipulation. It was too bad, the man concluded, that Dumbledore had embraced that as a way of life, and certainly how he would treat those like Alexei.

Alexei exchanged glances with Toris, who was to be the main person answering the questions. He was best at it, and was more understandable than the others. Toris looked grim, but brightened and gestured to the front, and Alexei turned to look. Professor McGonagall had begun carrying a three-legged stool to the front of the hall, between the students and the teachers. She placed it down, then gently let a worn, tattered, brown hat practically drift from her grasp onto the stool. All the students stared at it, anticipating something to happen, as Professor McGonagall backed up a bit. And then a massive tear in the side of it opened, and the hat began to sing.

I may not be the most worldly of them all

But put it past other hats

To see into your soul

I'm the sorting hat

And to me it appears to fall

The duty, as great as it is

To guide you to your goals

Your houses, your friends, your fold

I shall start your journey great

See you past your rise and fall

Encourage, in my song

Your dances with fate and mystery

My warnings, may they begin

You can see I'm more than I seem

But beware, to all, as others do too

And they don't appear so different as I

Lords, who created me, may you see

The honorable, immune ones to sort this night

Hogwarts, prepare

For the best whose people have prevailed another day

Alexei had slowly become more and more shocked throughout the words the hat sang to them. He whirled around to stare at the others, hoping to silently communicate his distress. They too stared back at him and at each other, alarmed at this turn of events. The hat, it knew of their status, clearly. It had warned the humans of the hall of their, well, 'special' traits.

Thankfully it hadn't named names, or even gave good clues, but it was still clear enough to give pause to some. Even Hermione, as he glanced over to their human friends, looked curious, obviously having thought through the words and seen their meaning: There were those who weren't people, that were stronger, 'immune', that looked like people. And they were being sorted with the rest tonight, under the pardon of being honourable.

He hoped that this was enough, for now, to be let through by the hat without further incident, but Alexei then realized that the hat had been calling off names this entire time. He glanced up and prepared himself, watching as another student sat on the chair, put on the hat, and have it call out a house name, and the student would trot on over to that house's table. It seemed easy enough, but it was a trial that Alexei wasn't sure of. For one thing, the hat betray them, although it hadn't before. The second thing was something England had told them was sure to happen. The scroll that Professor McGonagall was reading off student's names from would reveal his true identity, and all the transfer students, as well as England and Russia, would fall suspect.

He would be the most set upon, but he knew how to deal with it from all the training Russia had given him. They would all probably handle it well, but it was really annoying anyways.

The Professor called out, "Now, for the transfer students. I trust you will welcome them and treat them well. First off, Beilschmidt, Ludwig!" Ludwig, although obviously nervous, strode forward as if confident, and quickly sat down on the chair, sweeping the hat on in a neat movement.

/Germany's POV\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Ludwig shifted a bit on the seat and put the hat on, wincing as it slid a bit. He didn't much like this way of organizing students, but it seemed to work efficiently enough, so it was fine with him. Although, he would be the first to found out if the hat betrayed them.

"Now, don't worry about that. You all don't seem to mean harm, so the others have no need to get fussy quite yet. But they'll figure out in time, so you all will have to figure something out."

"Gott im Himmel! Who are you, und vhat are you doing in my head?"

"Why, I'm the Sorting Hat, and I search in your head for what house you'll fit in best. Now, you have ambition, I can see it in your memories, whether you like them or not. But you're loyal, too, never purposefully giving your friends up… that Italy of yours, and Japan, even new friends. You've even followed Moscow to the school just to make sure he is safe, as well as the other countries that came. You're knowledgeable, too, although that seems to be pushed aside for your friends, so perhaps not Ravenclaw… No, your bravery, loyalty, and blunt honesty shines through, despite the ambition and bleak past marring your steps. You're determined to set things right, no matter what, and that makes you perfect for…" And the Hat shouted in a booming voice- "GRYFFINDOR!"

Ludwig, shaking from the brutally accurate waterfall of words the Hat had spouted into his head, took off the hat and walked towards the red and gold table, shooting apologetic looks at his immortal friends. They grinned at him, and he felt somewhat better, joining the small group of people he knew at the near end of the table.

Ron grinned at him, saying, "I hoped so, mate! Now we just need the rest of you to get sorted here!" Ludwig smiled back, then turned to watch Toris get called up.

/Lithuania's POV\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Ludwig had gotten called to Gryffindor, and while Toris had thought originally that it may have been a mistake, thinking over it again, it made sense. But he couldn't spare any more time for thought when Professor McGonagall called out, "Laurinaitis, Toris!".

He smoothly began walking towards the Hat, careful as always to be calm. He was, of course, silently shaking with nerves, but Raivis couldn't see it or the little nation would probably freak out even more.

Toris sat on the stool and put the hat on, feeling it fit decently enough, but still it dipped enough to hide his gaze from the students. So, how would this work? It was clear that the Hat did not simply give you the house you asked for, but…

"No, I don't. I must look into your soul, Lithuania, for the answer of what house you fit into."

"Oh, is that how it works? Well, while I will let you, I do wish for you to at least consider putting me in Gryffindor, as well as the others."

It chuckled. "We'll see. Now, for a look. You… are powerful of mind, and you will fight for your friends, especially Poland, no matter how he annoys you. While you are usually peace loving, and would rather talk your way out of a situation, you can be bold, and your loyalty to those you protect overcomes your ambition. You're a protector, defending even now your friends. But your calm belies a storm, and your knowledge is succeeded by honesty. No, you've gotten your wish, although you needn't have requested. You belong in…" "GRYFFINDOR!"

Toris winced at the loud voice, but slipped the hat back on the stool and walked over to the table where Ludwig sat. The blonde nation sent him a small smile, rare to see on the stern face, and Toris responded with a grateful one. He sat next to Ludwig, glancing back at Raivis and Alexei encouragingly. Raivis should go next. And so he did.

/Latvia's POV\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Raivis, trembling, inched forwards towards the stool carrying the hat. Oh, he didn't want to do this, but…. Alexei and the others could, so he could too, right? The students, as a crowd, watched him, mutters and whispers journeying. There were, thankfully, some calls of encouragement, mainly from Hermione and Ron, as well as the Weasley twins and someone sitting next to them, as well as from his immortal friends.

Raivis finally reached the hat, and shakily put it on. The hat slipped down over his head, almost completely blocking out all of his vision of the Great Hall. Even the noise from outside seemed to have gone away for the most part, and Raivis calmed down, feeling safer than he had for a while. The Hat wouldn't hurt him, right? The others hadn't looked in pain. He hoped it didn't, if only for Alexei. He could take pain, as long as it wasn't too bad.

"Little Latvia, I mean you no harm."

"W-What? A-Are you the Hat?"

"Yes, I am. I'm only going to sort you by looking at your memories and how you've reacted to things in the past. Now… You're fearful, but not cowardly. You're willing to help your friends, even if it could hurt you, and they do the same for you. You have bravery, it just hasn't had much of a chance to shine. Yes, you need to bring that out, little one. The best place to go for that would be…" "GRYFFINDOR!"

With a relieved sigh, Raivis slid down from the stool, and stumbled to the Gryffindor table, where the twins gestured harmlessly between them. Raivis, sighing, dropped in between them. He was reassured when they simply patted him on the back and cheered for him. But then his shaking increased tenfold when he recalled what was about to happen. Alexei was about to be revealed.

/Alexei's POV/

Alexei gulped; it was his turn next and all of his friends were in Gryffindor. He watched, time seeming to slow down as Professor McGonagall started to glance down towards the list that held the words that would betray him to the world. The cheers seemed distant, the people's murmurs distorted and slow. In that moment, all he had to comfort him was the feeling of his people, and the remembrance that he wasn't just the two names that were about to be read out. He was Moscow, and he wouldn't be cowed by the crowds, the questions, or the doubt that would come. He was one with his land, people, and their beliefs, but also of his own will.

Time began to speed back up, and the noises crashed back together. Professor McGonagall's eyes travelled down to the paper, and her eyes widened, and she gave him an utterly shocked look. He tilted his head at her, feigning curiosity, but also letting his green-purple eyes belie a faded scar on his temple. Her eyes widened even further, and she looked back down at the paper then back up at him several times. The students and other teachers began to notice this, and murmurs began. Alexei knew he couldn't look at his friends now, or they may be under even further suspicion later, so he stared straight at the Professor.

Finally, she cleared her throat, and called out the names that would change his life. "Alexei Braginski… Also known as… Harry Potter!" The room exploded. The students bellowing at each other, dismissing him and supporting him in the same breath. The teachers reacted no less violently, some standing up and staring, others falling into hurried conversation. All of them, teachers and students, stared intently at Alexei, gazing at his appearance. Hagrid, who had arrived earlier, was choking, and this seemed to be the final piece of mayhem required for Dumbledore to stand, and with a wave of his wand, cleared Hagrid's throat, and created a loud boom, silencing the hall for the most part.

He descended slowly, gazing straight at Alexei. He stopped some feet away, but never stopping his never-ending stare. Alexei looked back, unsure.

Dumbledore, still staring, broke the awkward silence. "Is that, no, are those your names?"

"Yes, Headmaster. Those are my names. Why are they being so interesting?" Alexei cocked his head a little again, and he knew that his fringe had swayed enough to show a glimpse of his faded scar again. The teachers and some of the students saw it, and even more murmurs started up. Dumbledore definitely saw it, and his eyes narrowed, although that might've been because Alexei's question.

"Why, don't you know? You're a celebrity here, Harry. The Boy Who Lived."

Alexei scowled at this. "Yes, I am knowing of this. But, I am called Alexei, da?"

Dumbledore shook his head, nonplussed. "Here, why don't we sort you, and then you and your fellow transfers come with me. We can sort out things then. Come on, then, Harry." Alexei's scowl deepened, but he gracefully swept forwards, hopping up onto the stool and sweeping the Hat onto his head in a single movement. The Hat slid down over his eyes, blocking out the inquisitive gazes. Alexei waited. He had waited out blizzards and entire winters with his Papa, and he could wait out a Hat.

"Oh ho, a stubborn one. And a tad angry at the circumstances. Well, no matter. I'll get you sorted, don't worry. Your secrets are safe with me, Moscow. Now… you're a rash one by nature, but living with and becoming those timeless, your patience has grown. Still, you'll find yourself undoubtedly charging into situations with bravery and loyalty, the best kind of strong will. Yes, you're charismatic, and you'll do much for your group of friends while they are some of the most loyal around. Why, if not for your lust for knowledge, which only feeds into your desire to help, you'd be a perfect…" "GRYFFINDOR!"

Alexei thought his thanks to the Hat and quickly whipped it off, setting it down on the stool. There were some uncertain cheering from the Gryffindor tables, and the other immortals stood up amid it, hurrying over to Alexei. All of them exchanged glances, and Alexei knew he wasn't the only one feeling conflicted between happy and worried. They had all gotten into the same house, with their non-nation friends, but now their jig could be called anyway.

Dumbledore gestured for them to follow him, and they did, escorted by the bat-cloaked man and Professor McGonagall. They arrived at a gargoyle, and Dumbledore mumbled something to it, and it turned upwards. They filed up the stairs it had left behind, going into what was obviously Dumbledore's office, lined with bookshelves, maps, and globes, centered by a large desk with a phoenix perching on it.

The teachers took high chairs on either side of Dumbledore's desk, where Dumbledore himself sat. The immortals sat in smaller chairs in front of the three, facing the adults. It was clearly meant to be intimidating, and it was. Unfortunately- or fortunately, they all had practised and been taught or had been in situations where they or others had used this. They knew not to be scared, and to stick to their plan.

Dumbledore, of course, started off the questions. "So, where do you all come from?"

Toris, as they had agreed earlier, was their mouthpiece of sorts. The nation answered the question smoothly, as it didn't require any extra thought. "I am from Lithuania, Raivis is from Latvia, Ludwig is from Germany, and Alexei is from Russia." Dumbledore frowned. "But you all came from England, or was that just Harry?"

Toris shook his head, although he had a small frown from Dumbledore's insistence on the name. "No, only Alexei is from England. Our parents all met here, though."

Dumbledore thought. It matched up with Arthur Kirkland had said, although now he realized the man had never specified exactly where the children themselves had been adopted. He started again. "So you did all know of Harry's, ah, status?"

"Yes. But we didn't realize, is it this important?"

Alexei was impressed by how well Toris was handling this. But he knew Dumbledore wouldn't give up this easily either. The man in question nodded. "Yes, child, it is. Did your parents know about this?"

"We just found out, recently, but it was only from one of our books. Alexei had the scar and his old name, and we figured it out."

Dumbledore nodded, a slight bit more at ease now. The dark-haired Professor jumped in now, having been staring at Alexei for the past while. "Do you expect us to believe that? He looks nothing like his parents. Neither Lily nor James had hair that colour, or were that tall when they were this age."

Dumbledore smiled gently at his companion. "No, but he has Lily's eyes, and we've all seen the scar. Besides, there is no way to fool the scroll. He is Harry Potter." The man slouched back in his chair, still staring intently.

This time, it was Professor McGonagall who stepped in. "Who are your adoptive parents, Alexei?"

Alexei gave her a small grin at the use of his name, although he was miffed at being called upon. "My Papa is Ivan Braginsky. He is being a government worker, da?"

He laid the accent on even thicker than it naturally was, hoping to cement the impression of being foreign and oblivious. The adults exchanged glances, looking slightly disturbed at the sound of his voice. Professor McGonagall turned back to Alexei quickly, though, to continue her line of questioning. "Can we meet with him today?"

Alexei nodded, knowing that Russia had allowed him to invite the predictably curious wizards to investigate him. "Da, he and my aunts live here." Alexei got up and put a paper with Russia's address on it. "This is their summer home, so maybe visit today before they are doing the leaving."

He turned and sat back down in his chair. Dumbledore smiled at him gently, and Alexei knew the man fully believed that Alexei was harmless at this point. Professor McGonagall, too, had softened her gaze by a touch. Only the black-haired Professor had yet to be convinced. "You, Laurinaitis. Why are you so fluent compared to the others?"

Toris gave his gentle, harmless grin, and replied easily. "My parent has worked with Americans more than the others. I am friends with a business partner, and he taught me better english when I stayed with him for a while."

The man nodded reluctantly. The explanation was actually very close to the truth. Toris had spent time with Alfred, who was his business partner of sorts, and he had learned better english, even though he had known quite a bit already.

Dumbledore got up, and the two other Professors followed his example. "Well, we should return you to the Hall now. I doubt you or any of the other students want to go hungry any longer, or we might yet see some pranksters appear."

They all came out of the room and went to the Great Hall. Of course, the minute the doors opened, all eyes again focused on the transfers. Raivis immediately hid behind Toris, and Ludwig stepped half defensively in front of Alexei, gaining the brunt of the inquisitive stares.

They went to their table and sat down in their old chairs, with Raivis quivering even more violently between the Weasley twins. The teachers returned to their seats, and Dumbledore closed his speech for the feast to begin. As he did, the friends started asking questions. Hermione, of course, was whispering in a squeaky tone, and Alexei could tell she was restraining herself from screeching.

"Why didn't you tell us you were Harry Potter?"

Alexei tilted his head, feeling sheepish suddenly. "Well, we are from other countries, da? And not raised as wizards, so it is not big deal to us. We did not know how important this is being." She nodded, but her eyes were still narrowed.

Ron clapped Alexei on the back, although he seemed even more impressed by the fact that the blond didn't budge an inch. "Mate, that's huge here! Mum's gonna have a fit!"

Alexei chuckled along with the others at this, and the twins expanded on the theory.

"She will, won't she?"

"And then perhaps we could-"

"Maybe-"

"Get some pranks-"

"Right by her."

"Good timing, Alexei."

Hermione frowned at this. "That's right, why did you say your name was Alexei Braginsky?"

Alexei felt kind of weird about this. He hoped he wouldn't encounter a lot of people calling him Harry, although the twins had picked up on his preference. "It is my name, da? I got new first name, and my Papa's last name. That is name I like, too."

She nodded, thinking. "Wasn't there an Alexei in Russian history? Were you named after him?" Alexei nodded. "Da, that is true. I think I was, but I like the name not just for that."

They all jumped when suddenly, food appeared on the platters in front of their plates, and pitchers filled with different drinks to pour into their goblets. They dug in hurriedly, and the nations managed to deflect most of the other questions easily. Raivis was surprisingly, growing more and more at ease with the Weasley twins and their friend Lee Jordan, who were being surprisingly kind to him, without a hint of their usual deviousness. Soon, it came time for the students to exit the Hall.

 **Hey, guys. I'll probably update again Thursday or Friday. Like I said, I'll be going more in depth next chapter with the repercussions from this and the investigation into Russia, as well as England, probably. Prepare for light bashing of Dumbledore. Also, on a different note, I saw a post stating an amazing thing. It quoted from the first book that the Weasley twins had enchanted snowballs to follow Quirrel around and hit him in the back of the turban. So they technically hit Voldemort in the face with snowballs. Good game, Weasley twins. I also kind of want them to take Latvia under their wing. Somehow I feel like they're the type to be super nice and supportive to those they like, so I may have a lot of that later on. Also, I know that some of the nations don't seem like Gryffindors, but I wanted them all in the same house, and tried to have decent reasoning. On that note, bye!**


	8. Chapter 8

They were all in the middle of their feast when a certain pearly ghost settled near them, albeit on the opposite side of the immortals. He looked very victorian, and was wearing an outfit some of the older nations recalled England having a version of at one point or another.

The ghost glanced warily at them, but Alexei, hoping to sooth him, smiled, and he did settle down a bit.

Enough, at least, to start a conversation. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, of the Gryffindor tower. At your services, young Lions."

Ron immediately perked up at this. "Wait, isn't he the one you told me about?" He glanced at the twins, then back at the ghost. "Aren't you Nearly Headless Nick or something like that?"

Nick looked very offended at that, but Alexei felt some sympathy for him after the persistence of Dumbledore at calling him 'Harry'. He spoke up for the ghost. "Do you not like nickname?" Nick gave him an unsettled glance and simply looked nervous until finally deciding on a nod. "Then I and maybe others will not be calling you that. But why is that your nickname, if it is okay to ask?"

Nick looked around, then sighed. "Fine, I'll show you," He muttered, "But don't expect me to again." Their side of the Gryffindor table leaned in, even the ones who had probably seen it before. The ghost swung his head off, and Alexei just had to think for a moment just how gross that was, but the head kind of hung there in gory glory, before the ghost scowled and swung it back up and regarded them all with a disappointed look on his face. "Really, you ought to be glad you asked me and not the others. It's best not to ask a ghost how he died. Manners, and all." They shuffled, abashed, until he took pity on them. "Well, just do better than last year, and we'll get along fine. House competition and all- Slytherin's been winning, and the Snakes have gotten more and more smug."

He floated off, muttering under his breath. They finished their dinners, listening to Neville's stories of how he had discovered his magic. They finished up their desserts, Toris picking at his food due to his weak stomach, while Ludwig and Alexei enjoyed trying out new foods.

After some time, Ludwig nudged Alexei, and he looked up from his tart. "What is it, Ludwig?"

Ludwig was scowling slightly, and he casually nodded to the turbaned teacher at the head table. "That Professor has been staring at you. He has not been looking happy, either. It is most vorrying." Alexei glanced up again at the table, and noticed the man was staring at him, and really was glaring.

He glanced back at Ludwig and shrugged, unease quickly washing away. "I am famous here, da? Maybe he is not liking me."

Ludwig nodded, gaze still on the professor, but eventually turned back to his meal. The meals got finished, and the hall settled down slowly when Dumbledore called for attention. The man laid the details of rules for the year, and they began to head off for their dorms, led by Percy, who brought them up stairs and past a ghost called Peeves, who took one look at the nations and fled, to a large painting of a woman.

She glanced at them, asking simply for a password, which Percy supplied, and the Gryffindors went inside to a large room with a blazing fire, comfortable chairs, and tables to play games on. Two staircases on opposite sides led to what must've been dorms, and Percy led the boys up to one of the stairs and showed them the beds, which, while being in a dorm, were surprisingly private, with their own spaces and with the beds hidden by thick curtains. They all put their stuff away, making sure to get beds near each other, and quickly fell to sleep.

/Dumbledore's POV\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Dumbledore, once safely in his office, slumped in his chair and began to think without any interruptions. He had asked for Minerva and Severus to come at a later time so they could go to the address Harry had given them. Ah, Harry. Or, as the surely confused child was determined to call himself, Alexei. He would respect his wishes, but it was confusing how the lad had gotten so different from what Dumbledore or any of the adults had expected.

He looked utterly different than either Lily or James, other than the green eyes, but even those had an odd purple sheen to them. Even through all that, however, the list and Hat never lied, and both had accepted him as Harry Potter, so the boy's identity was confirmed. It was so odd, though, that Harry had become so utterly foreign in so little time, since he had only disappeared a few years ago, and that surely wasn't enough time to become so Russian, but perhaps since the child was young he adapted.

There was a knock at the door, and Dumbledore called, "Come in."

Minerva and Severus entered, both looking like they had done thinking on the topic as well. Dumbledore took out the scrap of paper Alexei and held it out, reading the address, then getting out a bag of Floo Powder. Alexei had said that his father had been expecting them, so Dumbledore had assumed the man would be okay with them coming through the fireplace. He tossed the powder into the fire, turning it green, and walked in, followed by Minerva and Severus, and all carefully called out the address of the place.

They carefully stepped out one by one into the living room of a warm, wooden house, and looking around they saw it carefully furnished with mostly necessary items, but some more lavish items were scattered around as well. There, on a couch, sat a tall man with short, platinum blonde hair and an odd smile. Next to him sat a familiar face.

Minerva gasped. "Kirkland? What are you doing here? I thought this was where Alexei's father lives."

Kirkland gracefully stood up and gestured to three chairs facing the couch. "Please, sit down and we can talk about what you've come to say." They did so, with Dumbledore carefully eyeing his friend, knowing Legilimens would get nowhere on him, although the two strangers sitting next to the man could be susceptible.

The blond man was the first to speak. "Hello, Professors. I am Alexei's father, da? My name is Ivan Braginsky. It is a pleasure to be meeting."

Dumbledore smiled his typical smile, although unable to catch the man's eyes. "I am Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts. This lovely lady on my left is Minerva McGonagall, and the gentleman on my right is Severus Snape, both professors at the school. However, pleasantries aside, what are you doing here, Kirkland? Did you know of the identity of our new transfers?"

Kirkland shifted, a tad bit too nervously to not be suspicious. "Well, I actually just learned of young Alexei's secret a few days ago, and my owl was sick, unfortunately. So I told Alexei before he left on the train to schedule a meeting here, now, so we could all have a talk face-to-face instead of through owl. I thought you might want to meet Alexei's adoptive father, after all."

Dumbledore sighed. He knew something was wrong, and so he did what he was hoping he wouldn't have to do. He gazed into Ivan Braginsky's eyes, attempting Legilimens.

Immediately, his mind ran into an icy blizzard, so cold he only stumbled around in it for milliseconds, but it was already too long to do so before the owner of the snowy mindscape realized what was happening and pushed him out.

Startled, and back in his own mind now, he looked up to see both Braginsky and Kirkland glaring at him. It made sense for Kirkland to have sensed his magic; the man had always been good at knowing the oddest things. Braginsky stood up, glaring down at him, and next to him Kirkland looked about ready to do the same.

Both of their eyes seemed to grow deep and old in their fury, and as Dumbledore, Severus, and Minerva stared into them unwittingly, their eyes only grew more intense. Braginsky was soon pushed back down by Kirkland, but both were still clearly at the end of their ropes.

Kirkland was the first to speak, practically snarling the words. "What, Albus Dumbledore, do you think you're doing!? How dare you attempt something so disgusting, so remorselessly, on a man who, for all you know, is a powerless muggle unable of Occlumency!? How dare you!" Kirkland heaved a breath, then continued on, uncaring of the effect he had. "What of the man we followed, all those years ago, in the Order? When did that man, our leader, fall to this disgusting level?"

Minerva cut through the rant now, not knowing what Dumbledore had done a few moments before. "What is wrong with you, Kirkland? We just came to talk! What have we done to warrant this behavior?"

This time, Braginsky spoke, and while Kirkland's voice had made him feel guilty in ways he hadn't been for the longest time- an odd feeling of utter wrongness, as if something crucial to him had been torn slightly- Braginsky's voice was different. This man spoke in tones that were ice, the coldest days of winter, utterly condemning and miserable. The man kept his purple eyes (And wasn't that odd, thought Dumbledore, to have the same shade as Alexei's) fixated on his own, never looking away.

"Your headmaster has tried to know my secrets, da? Is it allowed to go into minds, now?"

Minerva gasped beside Dumbledore, and he could practically feel the shock radiating off of Severus, although he knew there was understanding there, at least. Kirkland kept frowning, glaring at him, although not at the two beside him. After a moment of silent tension, the green-eyed man sighed slowly and ran a hand through his hair, casting a glance to Braginsky.

Clearly, Dumbledore noted, to calm the man down, although his gaze promised a row later, and Dumbledore suddenly regretted the attempt even more.

Kirkland began speaking again, slower, attempting to calm the situation. "Let's… try to accomplish the original mission here. These teachers, Ivan, as I said, just want to know exactly why and how you picked up Alexei. After that… I think I'll have a much needed conversation with them. But please, Ivan, just tell them what happened." Dumbledore watched, not without apprehension, as the angry Russian cooled down, slowly gathering his thoughts. The man finally peeled his odd eyes from Dumbledore's own and gazed at all three of them, no longer with that echoing depth of his and Kirkland's that had disturbed them earlier.

Braginsky nodded, and began to recount from his memories. "I was walking, after business meeting, with Arthur and some others, da? I was wanting to see the sights, and walked to area with nice, neat little houses and grass." His eyes narrowed, the most expressive part of his face, it seemed. "I was hearing shouting, and pain, so I walked to it. There was a tall woman, yelling at child, maybe hitting, and also a large man, yelling too. So I walked up and asked them to stop, and they try to yell at me to. But I am not willing to be yelled at, or let the child be hurt, so I ask them if I can adopt boy, and they are willing. So I agree to not let him come back and take him here, and care for him."

Braginsky was smiling a little now, rather pleasantly. "He said, that he wanted new name. So I call him Alexei, after a boy long ago. And now, we get letter, and Arthur tells me about Magic."

Minerva was nodding now, sympathy welling in her eyes as she was surely thinking about the abuse the boy had been through, but some of the anger from earlier still shone through when she glanced at Dumbledore, and the old man mentally readied himself for what was sure to be a great dressing down.

Kirkland had now folded his arms, and was standing, ready to usher them out. Clearly the man had not put aside the indignity his friend had almost gone through either. Dumbledore pushed himself to his feet, and Severus followed, with Minerva shaking hands with Braginsky before following.

Dumbledore threw some of the powder into the fireplace, and they were thrown back into his office, shakily standing back up. Minerva barely had time to round on him before the fire flashed green again and Kirkland followed, immediately straightening up and joining Minerva in the glaring. Severus got out, quickly, presumably fearful of the scolding.

Minerva's eyes were flashing, and the look on Kirkland's face… Dumbledore knew he had to explain, immediately. "I apologize for my actions, Kirkland. I… was skeptical of Braginsky's motives, and the man had no tells… I felt I had no choice other than that."

Kirkland actually seemed to _hiss_ at this. "You thought my friend- who I have known for years now, and Alexei has too- was a- a Death Eater?! A kidnapper? What do you mean, Albus, by _no choice?!"_

He stalked towards Dumbledore, green eyes performing that same odd deepening, achingly old stare that seemed to penetrate bones. "Why is it that you even feel the need to Legilimens anyone anymore?! Will you be running around the castle next, staring into your student's eyes, dredging through their memories? Promise me, you will not stoop to this again. These are peaceful times, take it from me… I should know… There is no reason to act hostile now, Dumbledore. Keep your weapons for the war."

There was silence for a moment, as Dumbledore felt that wrongness, yet again, of having Kirkland yell at him. It had happened even before now, when the hot-tempered man had given him much needed advice when he was about to turn down the wrong path. It was strange, though, and it felt like he was betraying something he had fought for, long ago. He gave a long look into those endless green eyes, not probing but simply staring. Dumbledore gave a long, tumbling sigh, and blinked, a long slow blink.

"Fine," he said. "Please give Braginsky my apologies. I was too nervous to lose Harry again, I suppose."

He turned and made to go through a door in the back of the room, but before he could leave, Kirkland called after him one last time. "His name's Alexei now, Albus. If you want to be forgiven, start with that."

Dumbledore nodded, and exited.

/England's POV/

England ran his hand through his hair and sighed. He had not meant to be so passionate, but that did seem to be a recurring problem of his. He turned his gaze to Minerva next, already fidgeting to leave, and apologize to Russia.

Minerva, surprisingly, gave him a small smile. "I suppose that was good enough for me, as well, Kirkland. Thank you for reminding him of those things- I swear, you've been the only one he's ever really listened to. Please, give your friend my apologies as well. He didn't deserve that treatment."

England smiled and nodded, then quickly departed to reassure Russia. That idiotic old man had gotten lucky that Russia was so calm nowadays. If Russia hadn't changed this much, Albus would've spoken to the nation's pipe for far less than what the wizard had done.

 **Thanks, guys, for reading. It's funny, I wrote the most of this while listening to Hetalia songs or marathoning Hetalia episodes, which is easy to do. Russia may seem really OC because he didn't beat Dumbledore up, but remember, he's supposed to have calmed down a ton. Remember, though, that this is only the beginning of the suspicions. While things may seem fine, someone has to figure out they're hiding something, and England's ranting is only going to work for so long. Thanks, and see you all next update! Remember, if you have a oneshot or an OC, don't be afraid to suggest! I'm also working on the design of their cloaks, although I've only got the rough drafts of Germany's and Latvia's right now. I should post that soon enough, I'll let you all know when I've done so. Bye!**


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